Annie's Christmas Wish
by Little Miss Isabelle
Summary: It's a busy time at the North Pole this time of year, but all Annie wants is her magical Christmas...  AU story!  Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey, everybody! I missed you! :) I feel like I've been away from CA for so long… When I said I was taking a little break, I definitely did not mean until the season finale! (Oops! Sorry!)

Anyway, I'm back with a new Christmas story, just like I promised _last __December_, but it's _really_ different from _Christmas with Auggie_. Please leave a review, let me know what you think, and if you'd like to see more.

Just an FYI, though—for those of you who took the journey with me for _Christmas__ with__ Auggie_—this is not going to be updated that often, and it probably won't be anywhere near as long, either! I'm extremely busy right now, so I'll update when I can, but it may be fairly short by my standards. :*(

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs.

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Once upon a time there was a man more magical and magnificent than any other man in the whole world. His name was August Nicholas Anderson, but most people knew him as Santa Claus. He lived at the North Pole with his wife, Annie, and hundreds of little people most of the world call elves.

Santa Claus—we can call him _Auggie_—was not the Santa you would expect. Sure, he rode in his sleigh every Christmas Eve with his reindeer and delivered presents to children all around the world, and he had the jolliest laugh you would ever hear in your life, and he loved Christmas cookies more than any other food group in the universe. But this Santa Claus was young (only thirty-one!), and there was not one white hair on his whole body! His hair was curly and brown and his eyes twinkled with every magical secret he got to keep, and his face was clean-shaven and smooth. And always in his right hand, you would find a long white cane that swept in front of him, guiding his way through the workshops, cobblestone streets, and of course, his mansion right in the middle of the North Pole.

Our story picks up on December 1st. The Christmas season is just beginning, and Auggie has a lot of work to do. After all, Christmas is only twenty-four days away. Auggie is sitting behind his desk, warming his hands on a steaming mug of minty hot cocoa, while his trusty sidekick (you would probably call him the head elf), Stu, is reading to him the naughty-and-nice list for the second time that year.

"Naughty," Auggie said, sighing.

Stu read the next name on the list. "Ayelet Shmuel?"

"Nice."

"Noah Park—"

A hurried pounding sounded at the door a second before it flew open, banging on the wall. Auggie jolted in surprise at the loud noise, but Stu only glanced up at the intruder dubiously. He'd heard enough intrusions in his day to not be too concerned. He smirked when he saw the young woman standing in the doorway, her blond hair hanging in waves around her face. Annie.

Santa's business had been interrupted a lot since Annie had been Santa's _wife_ instead of his daughter. Annie's father, Joe, had been Santa Claus for nearly fifty years when Annie and Auggie had gotten married. He claimed he was too old for the job, and, after several months of training, Joe had handed the reigns over to Auggie. Stu sometimes wondered if Joe had had too much minty hot cocoa the day he'd made the decision to give Annie free reign of the whole North Pole.

"Madame Annie," he greeted with a sigh.

Auggie brightened when he heard Annie's name. "Annie!" He'd been fairly certain that it was Annie—no one banged his door open quite like she did—but he missed her telltale perfume, so he'd let Stu take the lead.

Annie grinned over at them both. "Stu, can I have a moment with my husband please?"

Stu sighed dramatically. "But we were going over the Naughty and Nice List!"

Annie rolled her eyes, while Auggie grinned knowingly. "Just five minutes, Stu," he said, holding his hand out to Annie. He grinned to himself when he felt Annie's hand in his, and he pulled her onto his lap sideways, cupping her face with his hand and instinctively letting his lips find hers in a welcome kiss. "Hey, baby," he said softly, assuming they were alone.

He felt Annie's arms come around his neck and the soft tendrils of her sunny hair tickled his cheeks. "Hi," she said in return. She studied him quietly, playing with the wavy hair at the nape of his neck, trying to figure out the best way to approach the question she so desperately wanted to ask him.

Auggie frowned slightly when she didn't say anything else. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, and claimed her lips in a gentle kiss. "What's the matter, Annie?"

She sighed heavily, deciding that a straightforward question would probably be the best way. "Can we go down to the world for Christmas?"

"Down to the wo—" He stopped short, realizing what she was asking. It had always been Annie's dream to experience Christmas in _the__ real__ world_. It was the one dream he'd always wanted to make come true for her, and he thought he could, before Joe had handed him Santa's reins. Now it was virtually impossible. He sighed. "Annie… I'm _Santa__ Claus_ now, not just your husband. My responsibilities are here. You know how crazy it is each December."

She glanced down at her hands self-consciously, playing with the buttons on his shirt. "I know." Her father was incredibly overprotective, and hadn't let her experience a December down south before she'd gotten married, and almost as soon as they'd returned from their honeymoon, Joe had appointed Auggie as his successor. Of course he wouldn't let her go now. What would it look like, having Mrs. Claus roam the streets all by herself?

Annie glanced up at him hopefully. "But—Auggie, I talked to Dad. He said he's willing to take over the December duties for _just __this __year_ as his Christmas present to me, as long as we're back at the North Pole by midnight on December 23! Barber is willing to fly us down with two of the reindeer, and pick us up December 23. Please?"

Auggie frowned at her curiously, turning her plan around over and over in his mind. "No catches?"

Annie frowned at him. "No, why would there be a catch? Dad _loves_ you, Auggie. There's no way he would have made you Santa Claus if he didn't trust you!"

Auggie rolled his eyes at her playfully. "Are you sure? Because I think he tried to kill me the first time I stepped on North Pole ground."

She giggled at the memory. Auggie had always lived in Virginia, in Fairfax County, with his family. Accidentally one of the more novice elves had picked him up on a surveillance mission during the summer, and he hadn't noticed it until Auggie was already at the North Pole. Joseph Walker had been livid—and Annie had fallen in love.

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, grinning as she pulled away. She couldn't help it—she was always so happy when she was with him. "Puh-lease. You know my dad loves you now. You're like the son he never had."

Auggie smirked at her words. "I'll arrange to get a hold of my family so we can stay with them for several weeks if you take care of everything on this end—"

"Eeeei!" Annie screeched in his ear, throwing him back in his chair as she hugged him tight, burying her face in his shoulder.

He chuckled as he attempted to loosen her death grip on his neck. "Annie… Annie. Baby, you gotta let go—I think I'm seeing stars…"

Annie promptly let go, but scowled at him when she saw the teasing grin flitting across his face. She shook his shoulders. "Hey! Not funny."

His eyes twinkled back at her. "I thought it was."

Annie rolled her eyes at him and muttered under her breath something about how half of his jokes weren't that funny.

Auggie slid his hands up her arms, caressing her upper arms gently with his thumbs. "Are you going to listen to me now?"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe."

"What I was going to say is that I'll call my parents, _if_ you do everything here, okay? You have to pack enough clothes for us for over three weeks, make sure someone brings all our mail inside every day that we're gone, make sure your dad has everything he'll need… when all that's done, we can brief the elves together about what's happening this month, okay? Can you get that all done by suppertime?"

She leaned in to kiss him briefly as she spun out of his lap. Already at the door, she spun around to face him and called out with an elated grin, "Watch me!"

With that, the door to his office was pulled open, and Auggie heard Annie call over her shoulder to Stu, "Okay! You can have him back now!" before she disappeared down the hall.

As Stu ambled back into the room, unfurling the list as he closed the door behind him, Auggie couldn't help but grin to himself. If the only gift he could ever give was to make this dream come true for Annie, then he would die a happy Santa Claus.

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><p><strong>AN:** Sooo, continue-worthy? It's a more silly-happy-childish type Christmas story, but I love it! Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** So, that finale was amazing. Just sayin'. :)

I just finished my last final, so hopefully I'll be able to post more often. Please let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Covert Affairs.

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Annie breathed in the fresh wintery air of the North Pole stables as she glanced around one last time. She couldn't believe she was actually going down to America for Christmas! Of course, she'd gone to college in America, but either Barber or Bowman was _always_ staring down her neck, and she'd always been whisked away to return home for the holidays before they could even begin.

She glanced from her parents, watching her fondly, to Auggie, waiting by Rudolph (his obvious favorite), and apprehension filled the pit of her stomach. She would be spending the next month with Auggie's _parents_. The parents who were pretty much furious at Annie for whisking Auggie so far away that they never got to see him anymore. She had had to agree to two wedding ceremonies to placate both families—one in the North Pole, for her parents, and a small, intimate wedding in Manassas for the Andersons.

She inwardly groaned. This was the perk of being Mrs. Claus—you didn't have to interact with your in-laws. Pretty much ever. Except for now.

Lydia and Patrick weren't _bad_ people, per se—they were actually quite nice at times—but they were so overprotective of Auggie.

He looked up and in her direction, as if he could sense she was thinking of him, and he held his hand out to her. "Are you ready?"

Annie plastered on a bright smile for her parents and nodded. "Yeah, just let me say good-bye." She quickly hugged her parents, Danielle, Michael, and the girls, and even grumpy old Stu (okay, maybe he wasn't that old, but he acted like an old man _all_ the time).

She waited for Auggie to climb up on Rudolph, and she climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his back. She relaxed a little. True, she had no idea what to do about Lydia and Patrick, but at least Auggie would be there with her. Auggie always made everything better.

After ensuring they were safely on Rudolph's back, Barber climbed up on his reindeer of choice—Vixen—and they galloped out of the stables. When they emerged into the open, cheers and calls of farewell filled the air, and Annie grinned at them all, waving and promising to return in a few weeks.

And then they were off.

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><p>Annie slid off of Rudolph's back easily and looked around. It appeared as if they were in a huge parking lot, filled with cars. She turned to Auggie curiously. "Where are we?"<p>

Auggie smirked and reached out, pulling her against his side and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "My parents insisted on picking us up from the airport, so I had Barber drop us off here. He's going to take us around to the sidewalk just outside the baggage claim. I told them to meet us there at 7:40. What time is it?"

Barber glanced down at his watch. "Seven-thirty-two. We need to hurry."

Annie felt the nervous anticipation growing in the pit of her stomach again as she took every step closer to the spot where Barber would drop them off. Much as she wanted this, she had never spent a Christmas without her parents, Danielle and Michael, and her nieces, not to mention all the elves. The North Pole was her home. She was as adventurous as the next girl, but she was allowed to miss her family.

Besides, she had _no_ idea what Auggie's family was like. When they'd had their Virginia wedding, Lydia and Patrick were grumbling and annoyed. Auggie's four older brothers had been virtually nonexistent, barely making appearances for the wedding ceremony before taking their leave. They all seemed so… busy and preoccupied. Stand-offish. Annie couldn't help wondering why Auggie was always talking about his family when they seemed so rude.

Then again, the wedding had been forced on them at the last minute, but she would have thought they would try and be happy for Auggie, that he found the woman he loved. Maybe she should have seen if she could have stayed with her college roommate instead. At least Rachel was bubbly and happy. Maybe a little _too_ bubbly, but that couldn't be a bad thing at Christmas time, right?

Barber came to an abrupt stop in front of them, and he turned around quickly, handing both of them iPhones. "Now I know you guys don't need these things up there, but they're _all_ the rage down here, so Mr. Joe thought you should have them. Auggie, yours is loaded up with the latest technology for the blind. I don't really have much time to explain now, but you and Annie can look at them together. I know you're pretty good with technology, anyway. If you can't figure it out, you can always go to a Verizon shop while you're here and they can help you figure out how it works. Your phone numbers are on the back of each phone on the sticker." He glanced at the cars starting to pull up and knew he couldn't leave the reindeer for long. "Have fun down here, you love birds!"

With that, he turned and jogged off in the direction that he came, narrowly passing between two hotel shuttles.

As Annie watched him go, she sighed heavily and snuggled her head against Auggie's shoulder.

He glanced over at her, smirking. "Not having second thoughts about this, are you?"

She glanced up at him, feeling guilty. He always managed to see right through her. "No." She sighed again. "Well, a little. I don't think your family likes me very much."

Auggie smirked, obviously thinking her idea was preposterous. "What? Annie, they love you."

She huffed and looked away from him, trying to tell if she could recognize Lydia or Patrick in one of the approaching cars. "Yeah, right. I stole their little boy away from them. This is the first time you've been to your home since we got married. And you don't even get to stay for Christmas Day."

He gently lifted her head off of his shoulder and faced her directly, uncannily holding her gaze. He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Well, they're _going_ to love you. There's no way they could not love the same happy, bubbly, sweet, smart, adventurous woman I love, okay? Besides, it's been a while since they've seen either of us—I doubt they're still mad at you."

Wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against him, he whispered, "C'mere," claiming her lips in a gentle kiss. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers gently. It was times like these that he really wished he could see her. "We're gonna be all right, okay? I won't let my parents do any of those awful in-law things to you. Besides, you don't need to worry about that, okay? You're gonna blow them away." He offered her a gentle smile and wrapped his arms around her in a protective hug, letting her hide in his arms for several minutes. "Is this why you've been quiet all day?"

She just nodded against his chest, knowing he would feel it.

They stood there like that, holding each other on the edge of the sidewalk, for several minutes, until a car pulled up to the curb next to them and the sliding door of the van flew open. "Auggie!" a little voice from within the car squealed.

Annie and Auggie both turned to look, and he started pulling her over to the van with him.

Annie watched as the little girl sitting in the middle row fumbled with her seatbelt and finally got free, scrambling over to them. She threw her arms around Auggie and squealed again, "Auggie! You're home!"

He grinned down at the little girl and threw her into the air, catching her on the way back down. "Ari Bear!"

She grinned the endearment, wrapping her little arms around his neck and kissing his nose. "You're home!"

Auggie kissed her cheek with a grin, and, before Annie knew what was happening, the front passenger door swung open, and she was instantly engulfed in the arms of a man who looked a lot like Auggie. "Welcome back to Virginia, kiddo!" his voice boomed in her ear, and she looked up at him, startled. Whatever she had been expecting, this was not it. Patrick was _glad_ to see her?

"Hi-i, Mr. Anderson," she greeted, hugging him back. She figured it was only proper. "Thank you so much for letting us stay with you for these couple weeks."

Patrick snorted. "It was nothing. Auggie said you've grown up outside of the States, and have never really had an American Christmas! Besides, we never see you two. It's nice to have you around." He grinned at her that same way that Auggie did when he was trying to charm her. "And please, call me Paddy. You're family now."

She smiled hesitantly. "Okay… Paddy."

He reached for her bag. "C'mon. Let's get you two settled in."

Ari climbed back into her seat, insisting Auggie help her with her seatbelt, and Annie climbed in behind them. As they pulled out of the airport, Annie looked around at the spacious van, interested. Since Auggie and his brothers were all grown up and living on their own, she had figured Lydia and Patrick would have had a smaller car.

"Hey, Annie," Lydia called from the driver's seat. "Welcome back to Virginia."

Annie smiled politely in her direction. "Thanks, Mrs. Anderson."

"Oh, please, dear, it's just Lydie. We're so excited you're here. I can't believe we haven't seen you or Auggie for two years."

Annie was still getting used to the fact that Auggie's parents were both civil and excited to see her. "I know," she said, glancing over at Auggie. He was engaged in some sort of lively conversation with Ari, like they were sharing national-security secrets, and it was probably the cutest thing she'd seen in a long time. She smiled to herself. "It's so hard to make time to see you with our work schedules."

Lydie glanced back at Annie with an understanding smile. "I know what you mean. Paddy used to work all the time when the boys were little. We never went anywhere for the holidays. So what changed this year?"

Annie felt a twinge of guilt at having to lie to them, but covered it with a friendly grin. She and Auggie had both decided it was probably best that Auggie's family didn't know what they did. "Well, Auggie and I help run my dad's company… My dad's getting older, and he just felt comfortable with us leading out once we settled there. But it's always been my dream to experience an American Christmas, so he agreed to take over again until the Christmas holiday."

"Oh, so that's why you have to leave again, just before Christmas?"

Annie smiled regretfully. "Yeah, sorry… I would have loved to stay, but my parents really wanted us at home for Christmas, and there are just some responsibilities we can't get out of. My sister and her husband up there, too, and I think Dani and her girls would be crushed if I wasn't with them for Christmas."

Lydie smiled. "I understand, dear. We'll just have to have Christmas here early this year. How was your flight?"

A small smile flitted across Annie's face. She wasn't sure what Lydie Anderson would think if she found out that she'd flown in on a reindeer. "It was good. The scenery was beautiful."

"Well, that's good, dear," she said, and the van settled into silence.

Half a second later, Annie overheard Ari's little voice whispering to Auggie. "Auggie… who is that weird lady sitting over there?"

Auggie's warm laughter filled the van. "Don't you remember her?"

Ari's gaze darted around Auggie to steal a suspicious look at Annie. "Nope."

"Well, her name is Annie. She's my wife."

Ari turned in her seat, trying to get a look at both of them. "Oh, like Mommy and Daddy?"

Auggie smirked. "Yeah, just like Mommy and Daddy." He held his hand out to Annie, waiting for her to place her hand in his, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Ari, say hi."

Ari studied Annie a bit dubiously. "Hi."

Annie couldn't help grinning. Ari really was adorable, with her wavy brown hair, twinkling blue eyes, and easy smile. Annie guessed she was probably four years old. "Hey, sweetie." She smiled at the sight of Ari in her purple winter coat, a Santa Claus hat, and her slippers. "Are you excited for Christmas?"

Ari beamed from ear-to-ear at the question. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "I asked Santa for a new baby doll, and a new bike, and a sled for when it _finally_ snows, and a new book so Daddy doesn't read me the same one _every_ night before he tucks me in, and, and… it's just gonna be so much fun!"

Annie chuckled softly. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah! Tomorrow we're gonna go get the Christmas tree! Are you guys unna come?"

Annie glanced at Auggie, and at his grin of approval, she said, "We would love to, Ari."

The little girl clapped her hands together happily. "Good! Did you bring warm clothes? Cuz it gets really cooooold when we pick the Christmas tree… you gotta bring boots, and a coat, and a scarf, and a hat… If you don't, you're gonna freeze to death."

Annie laughed again at Ari's matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, and when we pick the tree, well, you'll find out when we get there. But it's gotta be really, really tall, and really poky. It's a Christmas tree rule. And it's gotta be pretty. And if it's not big enough, it's no good, because then Daddy doesn't complain when he brings it in the front door…"

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><p><strong>AN:** Review, please!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Back with another update! I don't have much going on this week anymore, so maybe I can whip out several chapters! :)

And pretty please, please, please leave me a review! It's so hard to tell how people are responding to this since there have been so few reviews so far. :*(

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Covert __Affairs_.

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Annie stretched feebly in her sleep and curled back into his side, slinging her arm over his chest and snuggling her face into his shoulder. Even in her sleep, she could smell that familiar mix of his cologne and Christmas, and she smiled into his shoulder.

Auggie ran lightly ran his hand up and down her back, clad in one of his tee-shirts, and he pulled her closer protectively. Annie sighed contentedly.

A few moments later, the door to their bedroom creaked open, and little footsteps pattered across the carpeted floor. The little body climbed up over the edge of the bed and peered over Annie's sleeping form. "Psssss," she hissed, poking Auggie's cheek while she lay over Annie's body. "Auggie! Auggie, wake up!" She nudged both of their shoulders, watching them impatiently for a reaction.

Auggie slowly began to stir, his grip around Annie tightening as he tried to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He had instantly remembered that he was in his old bedroom, at the Anderson house in Virginia, and he instantly recognized the familiar, sweet weight of Annie sleeping on top of him, but he was not accustomed to be awakened so early in the morning, especially not by a little child.

"Auggie!" Ari squealed delightfully, tumbling over Annie's body in her haste to hug him good morning. She pressed a childish kiss to his cheek. "You're awake!"

He managed a wry grin for her, hugging her back and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Morning, Ari."

She grinned down at him cheekily as she bounced on his stomach excitedly. "C'mon!" she squealed. "You have to get dressed so we can get a Christmas tree!"

Auggie groaned. He needed coffee before he could even consider spending a day doing anything with Ari. She was all dancing and jumping and squealing and laughter, and he had no hope of catching up without his morning fix. "What time is it?"

Ari grinned down at him. "Mommy said it was time to go wake you up."

Auggie rolled his eyes. Yeah, time to bother Auggie instead of Mommy. That's what it was. "Did you have breakfast yet?"

"No," she said, pouting. "Nobody else wants to wake up."

He smirked at that. He remembered what it had been like to live in the same house as Ari in the mornings. Early mornings and endless days of non-stop running. Sometimes he'd wondered if his parents had filled her sippy cup with coffee instead of milk or apple juice.

"Okay," he said, lifting Ari onto the floor next to the bed. "I'll make a pact with you, 'kay? If you go make Annie a picture of what kind of what our Christmas tree needs to look like, I'll wake Annie up before you are finished, okay? Then we can have breakfast together, and wake up Mommy."

Ari grinned up at him and pulled his face down to her level, kissing his cheek. "Okay!" she called, running out of the room and into the kitchen.

When he heard the retreating patter of Ari's footsteps, he fell back against the pillows and reached over to shake Annie's shoulder. It only slightly surprised him that she had completely slept through Ari's interruption—Annie was the heaviest sleeper he had ever known. "Annie," he called softly, shaking her shoulder again. "Baby, it's time to wake up. C'mon."

He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Annie groaned as she stirred in his arms, and Auggie smiled softly down at her. "Morning, sleeping beauty," he teased.

"Morning," she mumbled, curling herself into his body as she buried her face in his shoulder—half to block out the morning sunlight, half to just stay close to him.

He held her close for a few moments, running his hand up and down her back soothingly for a while, and then he whispered, "You know the Christmas Queen has dictated that I wake you up and I wake you up right now, right?"

She groaned again and hit his shoulder with her hand feebly. "Just fifteen more minutes."

"Not if you don't want to incur Ari's wrath," Auggie laughed as he sat up and turned in her direction. "C'mon. Ari has big plans for you today."

She groaned again and turned on her side to watch him. "Can't it wait until … like, eleven o'clock or something?"

Auggie chuckled and reached out, finding her waist as he pulled her in for a slow good-morning kiss. "No, babe—I think Ari would kill you for that."

"Kill Santa Calus's wife?" she grumbled, playing with the collar of his tee shirt. "That's not very nice."

He laughed at her words and kissed her again softly. "C'mon. Let's get dressed, and I'll make us some breakfast. Ari's convinced she needs to teach you how to find a good Christmas tree."

Annie grinned up at him at the prospect of breakfast, climbing into a sitting position. "Chocolate chip pancakes?"

He smirked at the excitement in her voice and helped her to her feet. "I don't know…" he drawled, flashing her a dashing smile.

She groaned, pulling a long-sleeved lavender blouse over her head. "Pleeeease?" she pouted, reaching out and pulling him toward her. She pressed a slow, deep kiss to his lips. "_Pretty_ please?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

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><p>"'Scuse me… 'scuse me…"<p>

Annie and Auggie turned around slowly. Staring up at them was a little boy, probably only five years old. He was the sixth child in the last hour to tug on Auggie's pant leg, and Auggie grinned as he crouched down to the little boy's level. "Hey, little man," he said with a warm grin.

"Hi." He shuffled nervously from foot to foot as he studied Annie and Auggie.

"I'm Auggie," he said, motioning to himself. "And this is my wife, Annie. What's your name, buddy?"

"Grayson…"

"Where's your mommy, Grayson?"

He looked around curiously. "Up there," he pointed. Grayson studied Auggie again curiously. "Can you see me, mister?"

Auggie smiled gently. "No, buddy, I can't."

"Oh." Worry clouded the little boy's face. "How do you know where everything is?"

Auggie's eyes twinkled back at the little boy. "Annie helps me to know where everything is. But you want to know the real reason?"

Grayson nodded excitedly.

Auggie held one of his index fingers to his lips. "You can't tell anybody, but I have superpowers."

Grayson's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you like Superman?"

Auggie chuckled. "More like the Easter Bunny."

From farther up the hill, they heard the little boy's mom calling to him, "Grayson! Grayson!"

Grayson turned to look and a guilty look crossed his face. "Do you know Santa?"

Auggie and Annie shared a look.

"GRAYSON!"

"Tell Santa all I want is for my daddy to come home. I've been good this year, I promise! He's Captain Steven Callum in the Army! Please? I _know_ Santa can do it!"

With that, little Grayson ran off in search of his mom. Annie and Auggie watched his retreating form sadly, and Annie asked, her voice soft, her eyes misting with tears, "So, how are you going to manage that one, Santa?"

Auggie stood to his full height and reached for Annie's hand. As they started walking, Auggie said sadly, "I still have some buddies in the Army who owe me some favors. I'll see what I can do once we get home tonight."

Ari came running up to them. "Auggie! Annie! Where did you go? We found the Christmas tree!"

Auggie turned from Ari to Annie and back to Ari again. "But, Ari, this little boy…"

She scowled at him and grabbed one of Annie's and Auggie's hands each and dragged them in the direction of her parents. "Come _on_!" she demanded.

Several yards and a few trips later, they came to an awkward stop in front of a nearly sixteen-foot Christmas tree. As Annie stared up at it, she couldn't help thinking how full of _splendor_ it looked. She'd seen dozens of pictures of Christmas trees, but rarely did they have them at the North Pole. This one was tall, majestic, shapely, healthy. She'd never seen a more beautiful Christmas tree. "I love it," she whispered.

Ari dragged Auggie over to the tree. "Poke it!" she squealed, and Auggie touched the tree's needles dutifully, and held his hand out for her to inspect. "It's perfect!" she said, grinning up at everyone. Ever since Auggie had returned home, blinded by a bomb while he was serving in Iraq, Ari had made it her job to Auggie-proof as many things as possible. This, of course, included every Christmas tree.

Lydie and Paddy, held in each other's arms, stared up at the tree in satisfaction. "I like it," Lydie said.

Paddy leaned in to brush a kiss against his wife's brow. "You guys stay here. I'll go get the guy."

Nearly twenty minutes later, the five of them were settled back in the Anderson van. Ari had been chattering the whole way home about how perfect their Christmas tree would be and how she would make sure it didn't hurt Auggie at all and how she was the best Christmas tree picker in the world.

While she chattered away to Lydie and Paddy, Auggie reached for Annie's hand, entwining their fingers, and he leaned over to whisper, "So, Mrs. Claus, what do you think of your American Christmas so far?"

Annie grinned as she curled into Auggie's side. "Well, Ari's _completely_ demanding," she teased, "but otherwise, it's nice. Not as busy as, well, you know."

Auggie smirked. "Not quite." He turned to face her and said, "So I thought maybe tomorrow we could start Christmas shopping. Mom and Dad want to celebrate early with us since we're leaving before Christmas day, and most of my brothers live in the area, so everyone will be together. I figured it would probably take a good portion of the month to find presents for everyone."

She looked up at him curiously. "Don't you have to, well, _pay_ for presents here?"

He chuckled and caressed the back of her hand with his thumb absentmindedly. "Yeah, well, after my grandfather died, his inheritance was divided pretty evenly between his children and grandchildren. I have always set it aside should I need it for anything, and when I married you, I decided to keep it set aside should we ever need the money while we're down here. There should be enough to buy a dozen or so people Christmas presents for a year and save some for later."

Annie's eyes widened as she studied him. "How much money is it?"

He shrugged, as if it wasn't that impressive. "Over 35 million dollars."

Annie gasped softly. "Auggie! You mean, we're rich?"

He chuckled at her reaction and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Yes, we are. But Annie, that doesn't change anything. I'm still just Auggie, and you're still just Annie." He stroked her cheek gently and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "So, Christmas shopping?"

She grinned. "Okay."

* * *

><p>Ari ran straight to where Annie sat, carefully cradling the ornament in her hands. "Annie, Annie!" she cried, thudding softly into Annie's knees before handing her the ornament. "It's the last one! You have to put it up!"<p>

Annie smiled at Ari's enthusiasm before lifting the girl into her arms. "How about we do it together, huh?" she offered.

Ari's eyes lit at the prospect, and Annie carried her to the tree. "Where should we put it?" Annie asked, surveying the tree that filled the two-story central space of the Anderson home.

An excited gleam filled Ari's eyes as she pointed to an empty spot on the tree. "There!"

Annie and Ari lifted the ornament to its place, and Annie stepped back so they could view their work. "Daddy, now!" Ari cried, and a second later, the tree lights came to life. Ari slipped to the ground to view their handiwork, and Annie turned to find Auggie, sitting in the chair across from the tree. She reached for Auggie's hand, and let him pull her down onto his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered, "Wow."

Auggie smirked, thinking about the Christmas trees he had grown up with. They had always been exceptionally wonderful, and he was sure this was no less. As he leaned closer to her, resting his cheek against her arm, he said softly, "You know, it's about ten times more magical if you squint at it."

She did what he suggested, and gasped softly when the lights began to twinkle and blur in front of her. Auggie just grinned and pressed a soft kiss to Annie's arm as she stared at the tree, mesmerized.

Annie was going to love Christmas in America.

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><p><strong>AN:** Review, please!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Aww, thank you for all your lovely reviews last chapter! One of the reasons I keep writing fanfiction is that I love the interaction with my readers. It's just not as fun otherwise. :*( I'm so happy to hear that you're all loving it, and that it makes you feel all Christmasy on the inside. :)

Please keep the reviews coming!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Covert__ Affairs_.

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Annie stopped short as she stepped inside the building. The inside looked exactly how she would imagine a gingerbread house would look like and employees were dressed as elves—well, how most people imagined elves to look like, anyway.

"Welcome to Claus!" the employees shouted in greeting after the bell on the door rang.

Annie grinned widely and leaned further into Auggie's side. He smirked and pressed an affectionate kiss to her brow. "I thought you'd like this place."

She took in the room with a look of wonder. "It's so…" Her voice dropped off, not sure how to fill in the blank.

Auggie chuckled and nudged her forward with a hand on the small of her back. "C'mon. Before they start looking at us like weirdos."

Annie blushed, but let him take hold of her arm before she guided them to the cash register where customers placed their orders. When the girl at the register asked what she could get them, Auggie pulled Annie against his side and grinned boyishly in the direction of the girl in front of them. "Can we have a minute?"

He pulled Annie off to the side, to where he remembered the pastry display was. "Around here, _Claus_ is known as the Christmas breakfast place. All their food has something to do with Christmas. They even have peppermint lattes and mint hot cocoa."

Annie stared at the glass display, fascinated by the plethora of Christmas pastries before her. Gingerbread-man-shaped Danishes, donuts in the shape of stars, hazelnut-flavored bear-claws, red muffins with green frosting, various types of bagels with Santa's image branded on them. It was like Christmas for breakfast. She looked up at her husband. "Auggie… they have sweat rolls with snowflake sprinkles on them!"

He smirked at her enthusiasm, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he pulled her back against his chest. "I know," he said. He'd had those sweet rolls before. He could still remember what they tasted like—the orange-flavored frosting mixed with the rich dough and the melted chocolate chips. It made his mouth water at the thought of it. "They're amazing."

She studied the display for another moment and pointed farther down the counter. "Chocolate donuts! And they have Santa on them!"

He let her explore her options for several more minutes. He knew the girl was waiting for their order, but he couldn't help let Annie have her fun. She'd never really experienced anything about Christmas south of the North Pole, and it was memories like this that he knew she'd treasure forever. After several moments, he turned in the direction of where he knew she'd been. "Babe, you ready?"

She glanced up from where she stood, studying the pastries, and blushed. "Okay." She returned to his side while he ordered, and when he was finished, she placed her order.

Several minutes later, they were settled at one of the tables, sipping on their hot cocoa and eating their breakfast. Annie was nibbling on her sweet roll—he could tell because she was chewing a lot more quietly than usual. It was either that or she wasn't eating at all, but by the little hums of satisfaction he heard coming from her mouth every few seconds, he assumed it was the former. "Is it good?"

She grinned up at him widely. "Amazing. This is the best hot cocoa I've ever had."

"I meant your sweet roll."

"That's amazing, too."

He smirked. "Good."

He was glad. He was honestly curious about how today would go. Shopping with a blind man wouldn't be easy to begin with—it wasn't that easy to navigate store aisles, and center displays could be the death of him. Not to mention hundreds of Christmas advertisements and large, pushy crowds.

Besides, Christmas shopping wasn't like getting ready for Christmas at the North Pole. It became tedious and boring, and he hated dealing with the self-entitled moms and grandmas who thought they knew everything and had a right to every single gift on their lists for their families and friends. Most employees were too strung out to be very helpful.

He had no doubt that Annie would be filled with wonder when it first started, and she was stubborn enough to make the adventure as fun as she could, but he was afraid Christmas shopping wouldn't be the adventure Annie was expecting it to be.

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Annie complained, her eyes flashing angrily, and she attempted to right both herself and Auggie. Usually she wouldn't say anything if someone bumped into her accidentally, but this was probably the fifteenth time it had happened all day, and she was starting to get annoyed. Couldn't they see a blind man was holding onto her? The most tenderhearted, selfless, kind blind man—who was <em>Santa<em>_ Claus_, no less?

Weren't the holidays supposed to be about kindness and selflessness and helping others?

Auggie's fingers curled around her shoulder soothingly, and his thumb caressed her shoulder lightly. "Annie, hey, shhh. It's okay. I'm fine."

She took a deep, calming breath, but she couldn't keep the frustration from building up inside of her. No, it _wasn__'__t_ fine. People shouldn't be allowed to push anyone around like that, especially someone who couldn't really fend for himself.

He tugged her over to him, wrapping his arm around her soothingly. "C'mon. Let's just get that baby doll for Ari and we can be done for the day, okay?"

She looked up at him wearily. "But, Auggie… we didn't even get presents for everyone."

He pulled her into a warm hug and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Hey, shhh, it's okay. Babe, we have almost two weeks to finish our shopping. Besides, we already got gifts for all my nieces and nephews, and Ari, and Mom. All that's left is Dad, my brothers, and their wives. Okay? One step at a time."

Annie breathed in deeply and nodded, trying to compose herself. One step at a time. She could do that.

* * *

><p>Nearly fifteen minutes later, Annie and Auggie walked out of the toy store. Annie's whole stance was rigid, and Auggie could tell she was about to fall apart. Christmas was everything to her, and the fact that people could be so rude and unkind was completely unbelievable to her. Annie guided them back to Lydia's car, and she walked around to the passenger side, unlocking the door for Auggie. As he carefully lowered himself into the passenger seat, he reached out, snagging Annie's arm and pulling her down on his lap. "Annie, wait," he said softly. He rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hands soothingly as he stared into what he hoped was her eyes. He gave her a sympathetic look. "Baby, I know this wasn't exactly what you were hoping for. Maybe I should have warned you about how shoppers can be this time of year." He paused, wishing he could see her face to better gauge how she was feeling. "Are you okay?"<p>

A frustrated, wrangled sound came from her throat before she threw her hands against her legs in frustration and tears pooled in her eyes. "It's just… it's not right!"

He tucked her hair behind her ears and caressed her cheek lightly with his thumb before he pulled her into a protective hug. Tucking her head in the spot between his neck and shoulders, he whispered soothingly, "What's not right, Annie?"

That wrangled sound came from her throat again, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. "Everything! I thought people were supposed to _care_ about other people at Christmastime! I thought people were supposed to be happy, and _kind_. But—but they kept bumping into us, and _nobody_ apologized… it was hard enough for you, I could just see it! Why aren't people nicer to you? It's not fair. You didn't make yourself blind. You—you were just protecting those people, and now all they do is treat you like you're invisible! It's not right."

_Oh,__Annie_. His heart melted for her. She was so _good_, full of so much naïve hope and a clear sense of what was good and right and what was not. It was what he loved about her, but he'd never thought it would bring her so much pain. In the North Pole, it was what made her so loved. He knew it would be hard for her to see this side of Christmas, but he didn't know it would be this hard. "Oh, baby," he said softly, stroking her soft hair gently as she buried her face deeper into his shoulder. "Baby, listen to me," he said, pushing her away enough so she could look in his eyes. "Christmas… it polarizes people. Some people love it and they always make sure to donate to organizations that need help and buy wonderful gifts for the people they love and go out of their way to be nice to total strangers. Other people… there's just something about Christmas they hate. I never really understood it, because Christmas has always had good memories for me. But it reminds some people that they just don't have someone like I have you and my family. And they think all the hype is just that—hype, fabricated nonsense for people to keep lying to themselves about the so-called goodness for the world for another year. They're lonely, and hurt. Some people, all they're worried about is everything they have to do. Buy a certain amount of presents to appease their families, buy food enough to feed a dozen or so family members… they just don't think of others, okay? But wherever you go, whenever you go somewhere, you will _always_ find people that don't care. You know that, don't you? You can't let it ruin Christmas for you."

"But—I wanted this Christmas to be _magical_," she whispered, and her face crumpled again, and he heard that sharp intake of breath that usually preceded her tears.

Auggie's face softened sympathetically, and he reached up, gently wiping way all her tears. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "It can still be magical, okay? Remember the Christmas tree last night? Wasn't that magical?"

She slowly nodded her head against his hands. "Yeah."

"Remember this morning, at the restaurant? Did you love that?"

She nodded slowly again. "Yeah."

"Well, the rest will be, too. Ari has a million and one things already planned for you for these next three weeks, and I can promise you, with Ari, everything will be magical and wonderful, okay? There are a million wonderful things about Christmas—the same here as it is in the North Pole. We just have to find them. And we will. I promise."

The corners of her lips lifted into a small smile at his words. "Yeah?"

He smirked and kissed her again. "Yeah. Because this is _your_ Christmas, Annie. And I'm not going to let you go back to the North Pole without letting this trip exceed your biggest dreams of this Christmas, okay?"

A wide grin broke out on her face. She loved when he talked like that, as if her happiness meant more to him than anything in the world. "Okay."

Auggie smiled softly to her. "Good." He pointed to his left with a nod, indicating she should look. "Do you see what that man's doing? He rings his bell, every day, collecting money to help children have a good Christmas. And hundreds of people with good hearts drop their change in his bucket. Without that man, and dozens like him, dozens of children wouldn't have Christmas."

Annie smiled softly as she stood to her feet. She leaned in and kissed him softly before closing his door quietly and making her way around to the other side of the car. She climbed in and started the ignition, and, before she pulled out of the parking lot, she reached for his hand, pointing it in the opposite direction he'd been pointing a few minutes ago. "You know that guy is this way," she said, tugging on his hand. "Right, Aug?"

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Annie…"

She giggled as she dropped their entwined hands on the seat between them. "I think you need to work on your sense of direction."

Auggie rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help grinning. His teasing, sweet, happy, resilient Annie was back.

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><p><strong>AN:** So, maybe not exactly realistic for Christmas shopping, lol. But trish47's review gave me an idea, and I thought it would realistically fit with how this story's been going so far. More light-and-fluffy stuff next chapter. :)

Please leave me a review on the way out, and Merry Christmas! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** My internet is pretty much out, so instead of hunting for jobs like I should be doing (but can't), I actually have time to be working on this. :) So chapters might be uploaded a bit more quickly. (Lucky you!)

Let me know what you think of this… I never know how it comes out when a little kid tells a story. :)

**Disclaimer:** I owneth not Covert Affairs. :)

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

Annie yelped in surprise when a hand reached down to pull her up from her seat by the front window of Auggie's old bedroom. "Auggie!" She scowled when he grinned down at her cheekily, and she sighed with relief. She lowered her voice. "Auggie, you scared me."

He chuckled and held his hand out to her again. "C'mon. Ari has a surprise for you."

She sighed. She was in the middle of wrapping some of the presents she and Auggie had bought for some of his family a couple days ago, and she just wanted to be able to finish what she was doing. "Now?" she asked.

He grinned down at her. "C'mon," he said, nodding toward the living room in an attempt to get her to follow. "You've been at that since lunchtime. You could use a break. Besides, I think you're really gonna love what Ari did. She's been working on it all day for you."

The thought of Ari's surprise made her smile a little. "Okay," she said, standing up and slipping her hand into his, letting him guide her to where the rest of the family was. As they sat down on the couch and she curled up against him, she looked around. Lydia and Patrick were nowhere to be found. "Where are your parents?"

His eyes twinkled at the thought. "They're part of the surprise. Shhh. I think it's about to start."

Annie's eyes widened as she took in the cardboard façade that served as a homemade stage. There were cut-out holes for a narrator's face and even a spot for the action to take place. The cardboard was painted with things that suited Ari completely—purple flowers and sunshines and butterflies and other such happy things.

A second later, Ari's face popped up into the narrator box, and Annie cooed in delight at the little girl's appearance at the exact moment that Ari began her monologue.

"Good evening, lady and gentleman. Once upon a ti—" she stopped to scowl at Annie's interruption. "'Scuse me. The play has started."

Annie tried to conceal her laughter by burying her face in Auggie's shoulder, and she quickly composed herself. "Sorry."

Ari crossed her little arms over her chest, and she said, "Good." Annie and Auggie overheard whispering behind the cardboard, and a second later, Ari called out, "It's Christmas Eve, and through the _whole_ house…" She held her arms out widely in a dramatic gesture.

Annie watched as the curtains for the stage part of the cardboard were drawn back, revealing a picture of a house's living room, empty except for a frozen mouse in the corner of the room.

More whispering, and then: "Even their pet mouse Lacey didn't dare move, because she knew it was Chrissmus Eve… and she wanted Santa to bring her a present, too. Santa knew she loved cheese a lot, a lot!"

A hand reached over the house-backdrop and stuck a picture of several stockings on top of the fireplace. "The family's momma and daddy made sure the stockings were perfect, so they wouldn't fall down when Santa put all the presents inside…"

While Ari was talking, the backdrop changed to a picture of two little girls sleeping in their beds. "The two little kids were in their beds, trying to sleep but they couldn't because all they could think about were sugar plums!" She craned her neck to look at Lydia, who was feeding Ari the lines of poetry. "Mommy, what are sugar plums? They sound icky!"

Annie laughed and hugged Auggie's arm a bit tighter while Lydia explained what sugar plums were to her daughter. Ari quickly regained her composure and continued her story as Patrick placed a picture of a mother and father dressed in pajamas on the backdrop. "Their mommy and daddy were wearing a kerchief and hat, which is dumb… Mommy, why was the daddy only wearing a hat? Isn't he cold?"

They heard laughing from behind the backdrop, and Lydia again explained what it meant to her daughter. "Oh," Ari said, wrinkling her nose up at the weird details in the story. "Well, then the mommy and daddy went to bed so that Santa could bring _them_ presents, too, and _just_ when the daddy was almost asleep, he heard a loud noise on the roof!" Ari exclaimed as the backdrop again switched to a picture of the roof with Santa's sleigh crossing in front of the moon. "He didn't know what it was! I think he thought it was a robber, but then he saw Santa in his sleigh landing on his roof, and Santa kept saying, "Go Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen. Go Comet, and Cupid, and Donner, and Blitzen! Go to the roof, run as fast as you can!" But Santa forgot Rudolf, but maybe that's cuz he was still a baby still… Anyway, so the daddy heard the little reindeers' feet tapping on the roof, like this," she said, dancing on her little platform so Annie and Auggie could hear her black church shoes pattering against the surface. "So then the daddy went back to bed." She took a deep breath and peeked out from her little opening, looking at the backdrop, trying to see the picture. "And _then_! Do you know what happened? Just exact-ic-ly when the daddy got back into his bed, _BOOM!_" she screamed, her face bright with glee as she clapped her hands for effect. "Santa flew down the chim-in-ey. Santa wasn't allowed to see the daddy was still awake, so he closed his eyes, really, really hard like this!"

She squinted her eyes tightly closed, and Annie chuckled at the silly face Ari made.

The backdrop changed again, this time with Santa covered in soot, standing in front of the fireplace. "When Santa appeared at the end of the chim-in-ey, he looked kind of weird. He didn't look all clean like Santa's supposed to—he was icky and black from the family's dirty chim-in-ey! They needed to clean it out." She nodded importantly. "But he still had his bag full of toys for the family, and that's all that mattered. When the daddy saw Santa from his bedroom, he laughed! He couldn't help it—Santa made him so happy! But then Santa saw him, but the daddy wasn't afraid, because Santa was so kind and told the daddy it was okay."

While Ari continued to talk, Patrick started placing clusters of presents under the tree and in the stockings. "But then Santa turned back to the tree cuz it was important. So he took all the presents from his bag for the family! There were lots, and lots, and lots of presents. When he was finished, he put his finger up his nose—" When Lydia cleared her throat next to Ari, she quickly corrected herself. "Oh, I mean beside his nose! And then, whoosh! Santa flew up the chim-in-ey and back to his reindeers!"

The backdrop changed back to the roof with the sleigh, and Ari continued, "Then Santa climbed onto his sleigh and drove far away, but before he did, he said, 'Merry Christmas Everybody! And have a good night!'" Ari curtsied formally and grinned up to her audience. "The end!"

Annie and Auggie shared a wide grin and clapped wildly for them while Ari, Lydia, and Patrick appeared in front of the cardboard stage and curtsied and bowed. Then, as Lydia and Patrick started taking apart the stage to put it away, Ari ran over to them and climbed into Annie's lap. She threw her little arms around Annie's neck and grinned widely. "Did you like it?"

Annie returned Ari's grin and kissed her cheek affectionately. "I loved it."

She grinned proudly. "Did it make you happy again?"

Annie frowned at Ari slightly. "Sweetie, I've been happy."

Ari scowled at her with a frown. "Annie, you was crying when you came home yesserday."

Annie could help smiling at Ari's observation. "I was just having a bad day, sweetie. I'm okay."

She grinned as she studied her brother and then his wife. "Did Auggie make you happy again?"

Annie grinned as she looked at Auggie, taking in his twinkling smile, before looking back to Ari. She took Auggie's hand in her own and squeezed it lightly. "Auggie always makes me happy, sweetie," she said.

Ari grinned. "Good," she said before pressing feather-light kisses to both of their cheeks and climbed down to the ground. "Cuz being happy is good." With a self-happy grin, she scampered off after her parents, and Auggie and Annie were left alone.

As soon as Ari disappeared around the corner, Annie turned to face Auggie, studying his face seriously. "Auggie?"

He turned so he was facing her. "Yeah, babe?"

She paused for a moment, not wanting to say what was on her mind wrong. She'd been thinking about it for a while now, but she'd figured they would just figure it out in time. Now, she wasn't sure she wanted to wait. "Do you think we could ever have a little girl like Ari?"

A teasing grin crossed Auggie's face. "It's entirely possible. She is my little sister, after all."

Annie groaned and shoved his leg with her palm, annoyed. "Auggie! I'm serious."

His face quickly sobered as the idea filled his mind. A baby. A beautiful little girl with Annie's heart, Ari's antics, and the face of an angel. Just the idea of her made his heart squeeze. He'd always wanted kids, a huge brood of them like he'd grown up with, but he'd been waiting on Annie's interest before he brought it up. He bit his lower lip, trying to find the right words, while his eyes shone forth every emotion in his heart. He reached up, cupping her face in his hands before he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "_Yes_. Oh, baby, yes." He brought his forehead to hers, and Annie could have sworn he was staring deep into her eyes, searching them for answers, while he caressed her cheek lightly with his thumb. "I've—I've wanted a baby with you since the day we said _I do_."

She smiled shyly up at him. "Really?"

He leaned in and claimed her lips in a series of possessive, hopeful kisses. "Yes. Well, a whole lot of babies, but we can take our time with that."

Annie blushed furiously and shoved her fist against chest. "Auggie!"

He grinned devilishly at her. "You're the one that brought it up."

She rolled her eyes. "Ari could come around the corner at any minute!"

Auggie snorted. "She'd just start jumping around at the idea of a baby to play with. _Puh-lease_."

"What do you think they would look like?" she ventured, studying his face shyly.

"What, our babies?"

"Yeah."

A tender look crossed his face as he tried to imagine what Ari had looked like as a baby, combining her features with those he'd been told Annie had. He slowly shrugged. "I don't know. They might have Ari's bright blue eyes, and your adorable little nose, and my curly hair. Ari's heartbreaker smile." He couldn't believe how much he loved their children already. "Are you sure you want this?" he asked, studying her face seriously.

She cracked a wide grin. She'd always wanted to be a mommy, to have children who could play with Chloé and Katia. "Yes. Of course. More sure than anything."

At her words, he impulsively reached for Annie's hand and pulled them both to their feet. "C'mon."

Annie hesitated, trying to figure out what he was doing. "Where are we going?"

"We have to start _somewhere_," he teased, his eyes sparkling back at her.

She blushed furiously again. "Auggie, Ari sleeps in the room right next to yours!"

Auggie rolled his eyes and pulled her securely into his arms. "We'll be quiet. C'mon," he begged, his eyes already pooling with desire.

She could resist him nothing. Especially when he looked at her like that, with that mixture of love, desire, tenderness, and excitement. "Fine," she said after a moment.

A wide grin covered his face as he kissed her deeply. "C'mon," he said, walking the back to his bedroom confidently before he kicked the door shut behind them with his foot.

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><p><strong>AN:** Daww. I've been wanting to bring in the Annie-and-Auggie-with-a-baby angle for this story, but I wasn't quite sure how to do it until today!

Please review on your way out, and Merry Christmas!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I know! Two chapters in one day. But I'm seriously bored, haha. There's not much to do without the internet!

After this, it looks like there will only be a few more chapters left—maybe three with an epilogue. Maybe only two chapters, or maybe even four or five, haha. I haven't decided yet! We'll see.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Covert Affairs_ (or any of the Christmas carols in this chapter!).

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Annie pulled her wool coat tighter around her body as she bounced back and forth on her feet, trying to keep herself warm. Though she was used to the weather at the North Pole and its biting wind, it was still cold during the wintry nights in Washington, D. C., and she didn't stay outdoors in the North Pole as often as she did here.

She glanced over at Auggie, helping Ari button up her coat and secure her winter hat, and she smiled. He would be a good dad. Even though they'd just decided to start trying for a baby, she already couldn't help imagining how their lives would change, how much they would love that little miracle of life. She liked the idea of doing things like this with Auggie and their children in the future.

Lydia and Patrick surveyed everyone from the top of their front steps. Auggie's four older brothers—Jack, Leo, Elias, and William—had arrived a little over an hour ago with their wives and children, and all eighteen of them were bundled up in their outdoor winter wear and they huddled together in small groups, waiting for Lydia to give the word. "Okay!" she called from the front porch. "Everyone, are we ready?"

"Yeah!" the kids shouted, and William's oldest, Cole, ran up to his grandmother, begging to be held. Lydia only grinned and obliged, making her way to the front of their group with Cole on her hip as she started to sing.

Annie found Auggie in the small crowd, slipping her hand into his, and he grinned over at her. "Hey, babe."

She smiled as she pressed closer to her side. She'd met his brothers and their families a little over two years ago, and they seemed nice enough, but she still didn't feel quite familiar enough with them to be too friendly. Besides, she'd never gone Christmas caroling before, and the Christmas songs they sang at the North Pole were very different from Christmas songs in the United States. She was afraid the others would notice and ask her why she wasn't singing.

Auggie sang along for the first few lines as they ambled down the street, and then he turned to her, frowning in interest. "Annie, why aren't you singing?"

She blushed and looked down at her feet, studying her shoes awkwardly. "I, um, well—I don't know any Christmas songs."

Auggie frowned again. "But I hear you singing them all the time at home."

She shook her head and rested her cheek against the scruffy wool of his coat. "Not these Christmas songs. All the songs I knew are only really sung at the… well, you know. Danielle and I are the seventh-generation of Walkers to live there." She shrugged. "I heard some of my college roommates playing Christmas music before the fall semesters would finish, but I never really _learned_ the songs."

Auggie grinned at her and pulled her close, kissing her sweetly. "Well, don't worry. I'll teach you."

"Hey, hey, Aug, get a room!" Jack called from behind them, and Leo, Elias, and William burst into laughter. Auggie groaned and rolled his eyes at his brothers. Usually they were great, but sometimes they still loved to pick on him like they'd done when they were little.

Auggie intertwined his fingers with Annie's, and, noticing her freezing fingers, he tucked their clasped hands into the pocket of his wool coat. "Better?" he asked with a soft smile in her direction, and she grinned softly, nodding against his shoulder.

As they came to a halt a few feet in front of the first house, Lydia turned to face her family. "You guys better sing. I haven't heard anybody since we left the house!"

"I was singing, Grandma!" Jack's two children, Evie and Graham, called enthusiastically, and Lydia smiled as she patted their heads.

"I know. I was talking about the mommies and daddies, sweetheart." Lydia then began to sing "The First Noel" as she walked to the front door with Cole to ring the doorbell.

As the people around her started to sing, Annie turned to watch, taking in everyone's reactions. She smiled slowly to herself when she heard Auggie's soft, melodic baritone in her ear. "The first Noel, the angels did sing, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay…"

Soon, Annie felt herself humming along. She didn't really know the words, but the melodies were sweet, and she liked listening to Auggie's voice as he sang.

She liked watching everyone's reactions at the front door. Usually they were good. Something about Christmas caroling was very nice. It made the people standing in the doorways smile, and it made her feel like she was doing something good. She wasn't sure why—she hadn't made anyone food, or helped children in need, or rescued someone from being hurt… she'd just hummed along while everyone sang… but still, it felt good. Like she was helping to make people happy. Maybe they could do something like this every year at the North Pole.

After nearly an hour of singing, they had made their way around the block and had returned back inside. Patrick disappeared into the kitchen to start making hot cocoa from scratch for everyone, and Lydia corralled everyone into the living room.

Annie guided Auggie to an empty spot on the couch, and she curled up next to him. She'd barely had a moment to relax when Leo's daughter, Leni, appeared before them. "Hi, Aunt Annie," she said shyly, and Annie smiled warmly at her.

"Hi, sweetie." Annie didn't know that much about her nieces and nephews on Auggie's side, but she knew she already loved Leni. She was four years old, quiet, shy. Annie could tell Leni just wanted to fit in, but she wasn't as loud or vocal as the rest of her cousins.

Leni smiled shyly. "Can I sit with you?"

Annie grinned as she lifted the little girl up onto her lap. "Of course you can, sweetie."

As she settled into Annie's lap, Leni grinned to herself, almost as if she was proud to be in a group with "Aunt Annie."

"You look pretty today," Annie said softly as she held Leni close, and the little girl glowed at the praise.

From across the room, Jack, who was settled on the floor with Evie falling asleep in his arms, said, "So Annie… we never really got to know you when you were down for the wedding two years ago. Aug told me you both work for your dad's company, but what exactly do you guys do?"

Annie grinned as she slipped her hand into Auggie's and tucked one of her legs underneath her. "My family has owned and run a toy company for about seven generations. My great-great-great-great grandfather took over the company around 1800, and it's been in the family ever since. We've been in Northern Canada since about 1900. After Auggie and I got married, my dad named Auggie the new CEO since he was getting older and didn't really feel up to being able to do the job anymore. I don't do as much as I used to before I met Auggie, but I still help out some. I mostly just make sure everybody stays happy."

Auggie's brothers' eyes widened at the news that he was a CEO. "Aug, you're the president of a company?" Leo asked, incredulous.

Auggie rolled his eyes and shared a grin with Annie. Jack, Leo, Elias, and William all had fairly high-profile jobs, and they'd all been rooting for him to live a full and productive life after he'd returned home from Tikrit, but before he'd moved to the North Pole to be with Annie, he'd held a job at his parents church, basically serving as a secretary. While he hadn't minded the job, he certainly wouldn't have tried to impress any ladies with it.

Auggie's brothers stared at him and Annie in surprise, and finally, Jack pressed, "Well, is it a company we would have heard of? If it's been around since before 1800, it would have to be pretty famous, wouldn't it?"

Auggie chuckled. "It's more well-known in Canada. We do business with every country in the world, but its name isn't that well here in America."

"Every country in the world? Aug, that's huge… very few companies have that much reach globally," William sputtered, and Annie giggled into Auggie's shoulder.

Finally Auggie caved, creating a name on the spot. "It's called Cole's Toys."

William frowned. "Cole's Toys? I've never heard of that."

Auggie smirked at Annie. "I could have told him that," he whispered, and Annie giggled.

From William's lap, Cole perked up, grinning at them all. "Cole's Toys—just like me?"

Auggie chuckled. "Yeah, just like you, buddy."

Cole climbed out of his father's lap and walked over to Auggie, climbing into his lap. "Did you name the toys after me?"

Auggie laughed and kissed Cole's forehead. "Nah, buddy, it was already called that before I got there."

Emma, Jack's wife, smiled slowly as she watched Annie and Auggie sitting next to each other. It was obvious to her that they were very much in love. She leaned forward a little, cradling Graham in her arms as he slept, and said, "So Annie, you have to tell me—how did you guys meet? You're so cute together."

Annie glanced at Auggie with a grin, and he nudged her shoulder with his, as if he was indicating she should go ahead. He knew she loved telling the story.

She grinned as she started. "Well, it all started when one of our employees came down to the D. C. area to do some research. Since our company provides toys to so many areas, we're always doing research to make sure we know what the public is looking for. Anyway, while he was down here, we heard about a toymaker who lived in the area that we thought would be a great asset to the company… and Avery was supposed to pick him up for an interview back at our headquarters. Apparently he had a mix-up, and he… well, he took Auggie, instead. When Avery showed up in front of my dad with Auggie, he was not… happy." Annie giggled as she glanced at Auggie. "Since we work with so many nations and all, there is a lot of sensitive information that we deal with. My dad was sure Auggie was a spy, and had him locked up."

Everyone from around the room gasped in surprise, and Patrick appeared in the doorway, anger billowing in his face. "They locked you up?" he asked, studying his son seriously.

Auggie rolled his eyes. "Please, Dad. Just let Annie finish. I'm fine."

Patrick sighed, but propped his shoulder against the doorjamb, indicating Annie should continue.

"Well, I was kind of in charge of figuring out who Auggie was and what he was doing there. Once I figured out he was brought there by mistake, I don't know… I guess I just fell for him right on the spot. He was so kind, and sweet, and we connected right away. Even while my dad still wasn't a huge fan of him and was trying to figure out how to get him back home, we secretly rendezvoused whenever we could. By the time my dad was ready to send him back home, I was hopelessly in love, and so was Auggie. When everyone was getting ready to send him off and everyone was screaming their farewells and Stu was trying to get him in the car to drive him to the airport… He just stopped everything and asked me to marry him. In front of everyone." Annie giggled and pressed a quick kiss to Auggie's cheek. "I was so happy I started to cry. I think my dad was so angry _he_ started to cry. But after the wedding and everything settled down, he started falling for Auggie, too. Now my dad loves him."

"Awww," Emma cooed, along with Lydia and Auggie's other brothers' wives. "That's so much better than how I met Jack."

Jack glanced up at his wife from where she sat on the couch behind him, and he snorted and rolled his eyes. "Puh-lease. You know our love is one for the ages."

Emma snorted back at him and kicked his hip lightly with her foot. "It was no Romeo and Juliet, that's for sure."

Late into the night, the Anderson family shared their hot cocoa and stories about how they met and fell in love and stories about the Anderson boys when they were young. By the time Jack, Leo, Elias, and William left with their families, Annie thought she was about to fall asleep right on the spot.

Auggie helped Annie to her feet and guided her up the stairs to their bedroom. She changed out of her clothes and into one of Auggie's tee shirts, and as she pulled his shirt over her head, she saw him grin over at her. "So, now do you think my family's so bad?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed, slipping into Auggie's arms before she pressed a light kiss to his lips. "No, but I thought your dad was going to kill me when he found out my dad locked you up."

Auggie burst out laughing at that. "I think you're right." He nodded to their bed. "C'mon. Before you fall over."

She grinned up at him sleepily before another yawn popped her jaw. "Yeah, okay." She climbed under the covers that he held out for her, and, when he climbed in behind her, she snuggled up against him and let her eyes droop shut. "Night, Auggie."

She smiled to herself when she felt Auggie press a light kiss to her shoulder. "Night, baby."

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><p><strong>AN:** Review, please! And Merry Christmas!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** It's just barely still Christmas Eve as I'm starting this, but I know my internet's still acting crazy, and I won't get it back before Christmas morning, so who knows when this will get posted. Until then, though, Merry Christmas, and thanks everyone for giving this story a chance!

Please review on your way out!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Covert Affairs_.

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Lydia Anderson peaked into Auggie's old bedroom, smiling when she saw Annie there, reading a book from their home library. It had been nice having Annie and Auggie home for the holidays, but it looked like Annie had been winding down to the end of her Christmas spirit. She was definitely still excited about the holiday, but Annie had been away from her home for weeks, which it sounded like she rarely did, and the month of December was a marathon when spent with Ari. They had made ornaments, decorated the yard with Christmas lights, baked cookies, gone to Ari's Christmas program at their church, gone to a few Christmas parties, had several day-long Christmas shopping expeditions, watched countless Christmas movies, and every other Christmas-like activity Ari could come up with to do with Annie and Auggie. Both Auggie and his wife had been great about spending time with Ari, and Lydia didn't blame them if they were running out of energy.

It was December 22, though, and Annie and Auggie were leaving tomorrow evening. That meant Christmas Eve was "tonight."

"Hey, Annie," she called with a smile. "Why don't you come downstairs? There are a few Christmas Eve traditions we'd like to share with you and Auggie before Ari goes to bed yet."

Annie nodded and marked the page in her book, leaving it behind as she turned off the bedside lamp. "I'm coming," she said, following Lydia down to the living room, where Patrick, Auggie, and Ari were already waiting for her.

When she passed in front of Auggie, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her down next to him. "Hey, babe," he said with a soft smile.

She smiled in return and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Hey, yourself."

Lydia sat down on the floor next to a stack of presents set off to the side. As she picked up the first one, she said, "Annie, we have a tradition in our family that we each get to open one present on Christmas Eve. I've always done a lot of sewing for our family, and each year I make a pair of pajamas for everyone. Just so you know what to expect, since Auggie, Ari, and Paddy know what's coming."

Annie nodded with a polite smile and waited for Lydia to dispense the gifts. The Andersons had involved her in every step of their Christmas activities, but she didn't expect them to spend a lot of time or money on her with gifts. Besides, she was content to simply watch.

Lydia passed out boxes for Patrick, Auggie, and Ari, and when there was one box left, Ari jumped up from her spot on the floor and held her hands out for the box. "Mommy, can I do it?" she asked eagerly, and Lydia nodded with a smile.

"Go ahead, baby."

Ari snatched up the box and ran toward Annie and Auggie. "Here, Annie! It's for you!"

Annie smiled in surprise and thanked Ari, and Lydia explained with a smile, "Auggie helped me figure out what size you would need. You've done everything else with us for this Christmas season; we wanted you to be able to take part in gifts and such, too."

Annie smiled her thanks and started ripping off the Christmas paper at Lydia's nod. When she lifted the box, she discovered a pair of soft, new flannel pajama pants with a striped pattern, alternating shades of violet and white. She grinned up at Lydia automatically as she lifted the pants from the box, admiring them. "Thank you, Lydie."

Lydia's eyes glowed back at her. "You're welcome. After everyone else opens theirs, we can get the proper size elastic and fit it in for you. It's always been easier to do it that way than measure everyone before Christmas, especially since we started this tradition when my boys were constantly growing."

Annie nodded and relaxed back into Auggie's arms. "That's fine. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, dear. Auggie, you're next."

In the next half hour or so, Auggie, Ari, and Patrick opened their gifts and Lydia set to work fitting each pair of pants with the proper size elastic while Annie watched in interest. She'd heard of many Christmas traditions, but never receiving Christmas pajama pants. It seemed kind of weird at first, but as Lydia finished off Annie's pants and she went to their bedroom to change, the idea grew on her. It was a nice taste of Christmas to be able to open one present the night before, and it added to everyone's Christmas spirit to be able to wear the present to bed.

When she returned from their bedroom, she settled back into Auggie's arms as he waited for the elastic to be put into his pants, and Lydia glanced up from her work. "It looks like they fit well," she commented.

Annie glanced down at her pants and smiled. "Yeah. Thanks again, Lydie."

"No problem, dear. You're family now. We're happy to have you take part in our traditions."

Once Lydia finished fitting each pair of pants with elastic, Patrick took Ari to get ready for bed. "You two are welcome to stay up, of course," Lydia said in passing as she stood to return to her bedroom. "Paddy and I will be up for several hours still, wrapping presents."

Auggie stood to his feet, catching her hint, and made his way to his mother, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Thanks for everything, Mom," he said, and she smiled and nodded in reply. Auggie then reached for Annie's hand and they made their way back up to their bedroom.

As Auggie fell back on their bed, tucking his folded hands beneath his head, Annie peaked out the door before closing it behind her. "Is Christmas Eve always this… _boring_ down here?"

Auggie laughed and patted the bed next to him. "You're just too used to life up… north. You just have to find something to do." He grinned over at her. "We can watch my favorite Christmas movie."

She scowled at him. "I think I've watched a dozen Christmas movies already."

He shook his head drolly. "Yeah, well, none of those is my _favorite_ Christmas movie."

She eyed him warily. "And what's your favorite?"

He grinned. "_White Christmas_."

"That sounds like an old movie…"

He snorted. "It's not that old. Besides, sometimes older means better."

She sighed dramatically, and Auggie took it as a cue. He hopped off the bed and found the DVD next to the TV that was still in his room. He quickly set up the movie while Annie stared at him. "You know, I never actually said yes," Annie called from her perch against the pillows with a wry grin.

Auggie turned toward her just to roll his eyes. "Please. We both know that heave of a sigh was a yes."

Annie giggled, and, after he finished loading the DVD and made his way back to the bed, she pulled him down on the bed next to her, cuddling into his side as the opening credits began to roll. Auggie listened to the beginning of the movie for a moment, liking the feeling of just relaxing with Annie, holding her in his arms, no worries in sight. After a moment, he turned in her direction slightly, lightly letting his hand brush up and down the soft, smooth skin of her left forearm. "So, almost ready to go back home?"

She smiled a bit wistfully as she thought back on the whirlwind of the last couple weeks she'd spent with Auggie's parents, Auggie, and Ari. It had exceeded all her visions of an American Christmas, but she couldn't believe it was almost over. The idea of going months without seeing Ari again left her with an empty feeling on the inside, and the thought of hardly ever seeing her five nieces and nephews made her sad. True, she didn't know Evie, Graham, Leni, Cole, and Annabel as well as she knew Chloé and Katia, but they would forever be a part of her life now, and she didn't want to forget them. And Lydia and Patrick—they had been wonderful. They had treated her like a second daughter, and she didn't want to have to admit to herself that this was likely the only time she would see them—all of them. Still, she missed her parents, Dani and Michael, and the girls, not to mention all her friends at the North Pole. There had to be a better solution.

She sighed sadly. "Yeah, I guess."

He grinned at her. "Ari still didn't wear you out?"

Annie glanced down at her hand, fidgeting with her nails unnecessarily. "No… well, that's not it. I just… I didn't expect to like your family so much."

Auggie laughed. "I told you they would love you."

She snuggled closer to him. "What if I never see Ari again? Or any of our nieces and nephews? They're my family now, Auggie, too."

He stroked her cheek gently and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I know, babe." He linked his fingers with hers, gently running his thumb along the side of her hand. "You know, I talk to them every week?"

Annie looked up at him hopefully. "All of them?"

"Well, no. I call here every week, and talk to my parents, and Ari, if she's still awake. I talk to my brothers when I can, but it's not quite as often. I'm sure we could arrange for you to be able to talk to Ari and Emma, if you like. I know you got attached to her a week or two ago."

Annie smiled at the thought. Even if she had to return home, she could still remain good friends with the people here. "Really?"

"Yeah. We could probably figure out a way to set up an email address for you. That way you could send messages to them when you have time, too. I have Emma's email address, and my parents'. You could pass messages on to Ari and even Leni or some of the others."

Annie grinned at the prospect. "Really?"

He pressed a light kiss to her lips. "Really." He nodded to the TV screen, where the movie was starting to get under way. "C'mon. Let's watch the movie."

Annie settled back into his arms as she watched the World War II scene that started the movie, but she shot straight back up in his arms when an idea hit her. "Can we come visit again? Like, during the summer or something, when you don't have as many responsibilities at home, and when all the kids are out of school for the year? Or maybe we can come for a late Christmas? And we can bring my parents, Dani, Michael, and the girls? I know they're technically not your family's family, but imagine it, Auggie! The girls would _love_ it. And Dani's always complaining about how her life is so domesticated."

Auggie laughed at her enthusiasm. "Whoa, tiger," he teased, pressing a kiss to her lips for just a moment. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? But yes, we can probably arrange a summer visit. Maybe for the fourth of July, or something, so you can go swimming and see the fireworks."

Annie grinned back at him enthusiastically. "Really?" she squealed, and Auggie laughed at her reaction.

"Yeah, babe, really." He pulled her back down next to him, relaxing as he listened to the familiar words of the movie. Thankfully, Annie relaxed against him, leaving all her visions of visiting his family in her mind. She managed to stay awake about halfway through the movie, but by the time the movie finished, Annie's breathing had evened out to a steady cadence and her body rested against him limply.

Auggie pressed a few buttons on the remote, first turning off the DVD player and then flicking off the TV. As he snuggled farther beneath the covers, rearranging the pillows behind his head, he pulled Annie closer and slowly drifted off to sleep.

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><p><strong>AN:** Review, please!

I know Christmas is officially over now, but I hope everyone who celebrated enjoyed their holiday!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** This is starting to wind down a bit… I can't say for sure how many more chapters it'll be, but there will be at least one (maybe two) more chapters besides this one, not including the wee little epilogue. :)

Please review on your way out!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Covert Affairs_.

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

Annie and Auggie woke with a start the next morning when Ari climbed onto their bed and, with one bounce, landed squarely between them with a wide grin. "Wake up, wake up!" she squealed. "It's Christmas morning! It's time to open presents!"

Even Annie couldn't sleep through that.

She groaned as she rubbed her eyes and looked around, surprised when she found Ari's face only inches from her own. "Hey, sweetie," she groaned.

Ari grinned widely, obviously proud that she had woken them both so successfully in one attempt. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" she squealed again, climbing off the bed to make her way to her parents bedroom.

Annie leaned over to press a good-morning kiss to Auggie's lips, and he groaned as they parted. "I think she ruptured my spleen," he complained, and Annie burst out laughing.

"C'mon," she encouraged, pulling him into a sitting position while she rubbed her arm. She wasn't sure how Ari had managed to dig one elbow into Annie's forearm and the other into Auggie's spleen, but somehow, she had. "You know she'll be back here in a few minutes if you don't get up."

He groaned again as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and slid off the edge of the bed. "I know."

By the time they made their way down the steps, nearly five minutes later, they discovered Ari was already there, hugging her stocking while she bounced around the room. Annie smirked as she watched Ari, and she tugged Auggie down onto the couch next to her. "Excited, Ari?"

The little girl beamed back at them. "It's _Christmas!_" she squealed, and this time both Annie and Auggie laughed.

A few moments later, Lydia and Patrick entered the room, hand-in-hand, and Lydia smiled wryly at her youngest son and his wife. "I see Ari got you up bright and early."

Auggie threw a lighthearted scowl in his mother's direction. "I think she ruptured my spleen," he complained, hoping his mom might appreciate his joke more than Annie did.

Lydia just smiled and rolled her eyes. "You were just like her at that age, I'll remind you, August."

He snorted dismissively, and Annie smiled at the interaction. As Ari dug into her stocking, Lydia handed Annie and Auggie theirs, encouraging them to open them, as well. As they did, Lydia explained, "Annie, I think you're mostly in-the-know of what goes around here by now, but I just figured I'd make sure. Ari _loves_ to do Christmas first thing in the morning, so it'll just be the five of us first thing, and then we'll grab a light breakfast, and then Jack, Leo, Elias, and William will drop by with their families around one for a large lunch, and then afterward, we'll exchange gifts with them."

Annie nodded, glad she'd put aside their presents earlier. As she and Auggie set aside their stockings, Lydia handed out the first round of gifts.

Annie had never really experienced Christmas. Not really—not as the rest of the world does. For at the North Pole, everyone is exhausted Christmas morning. There are no thoughts of presents and filled stockings and toys and objects people have wanted for months. There are only thoughts of sleep, rest, family, and a weary welcome home to Santa. True, a few times Vivian Walker had insisted on exchanging gifts to expose her daughters to how the world viewed Christmas Day, but those years were rare, and Joe Walker, jovial but much of the time austere, put much more stock in spending time with family over material possessions. In any case, Annie had never received so many Christmas presents in her life as she had that December 23rd. Vibrant, feminine, lovely scarves, a pair of gloves to match her scarves, several books she'd eyed with longing as she'd shopped for others with Auggie, that movie she'd watched over and over again since she'd discovered it in the Anderson's library, a dress she'd admired while she and Lydia had window shopped, a pair of Christmas socks, ice skates.

When all the presents had been unwrapped save for one small, simply wrapped box, Lydia smiled knowingly as she handed the final gift to Annie. She studied it curiously, not quite sure what to make of it. She'd already received much more than she had ever expected, and she felt like she would be returning home like a queen.

She lifted the Christmas-tree-shaped nametag, which had the words _To Annie, from Auggie_ scrawled across the back. If she had been less absorbed with the gift and more aware of her surroundings, she would have noticed the wide grins of Lydia, Patrick, and Auggie as they waited breathlessly for her to open the package.

Annie broke the tape along one side of the box and lifted the red-and-green wrapping paper to find a small velvet black box. She frowned slightly, dropping the extra paper in her lap. She lifted the lid curiously, discovering a simple, shimmering engagement ring—a simple silver band with a diamond in the center, surrounded by two smaller emeralds. Emeralds that could only represent two things—Christmas, and the month they'd been engaged. May. Tears filled her eyes as she turned to her husband. "Auggie…"

For once, his movements were unsure as his hands found her shoulders and then found their way to her face. His thumb caressed her cheek hesitantly, and he leaned in to press a quick, heartfelt kiss to her lips. "I—" he paused, nervously. "Everything happened so fast, that May. We were practically married as soon as we were engaged, and—baby, I always wanted you to have an engagement ring. Something to prove you were mine. I know it's two years late, but…" his voice trailed off sheepishly as he blushed, and Annie smiled happily as tears brimmed in her eyes.

She fiddled with the ring, managing to pull it out of its case, before she pressed it into his hands. Her face practically glowed with all the love and trust she had for him. "Put it on," she whispered, holding her hand out to him.

Auggie slipped her simple wedding ring off her finger to slide the engagement ring on, and he quickly replaced her wedding band to its proper place. He smiled at her softly as he lifted her fingers to his lips, brushing a kiss against her fingers and whispering, "I love you," before he pulled her into his arms, kissing her properly.

They broke apart when Ari started squealing, "Ewww!" and covering her eyes with her little hands.

Annie laughed into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you," she whispered back.

Lydia and Patrick reached for Ari's hands, leading her from the room to prepare breakfast. Ari tried to pull Annie and Auggie along, but Patrick lifted his daughter into his arms, carrying her away and giving Auggie and Annie a chance to share their intimate moment together.

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><p>By the time Annie and Auggie emerged with their bags at the top of the stairs to the Anderson home several hours later, all of Auggie's family had gathered at the front entryway, wrapped in winter coats, gloves, hats, and scarves.<p>

A slow smile lit up Annie's face as she found Auggie's hand and pulled him down the stairs with her. She took in the faces standing before her, all filled with love and tenderness. Before she could say a word, telling them how much they'd come to mean to her, Leni broke free from the crowd and threw herself into her aunt's arms. "Don't leave!" she cried, and tears blurred Annie's eyes as she lifted Leni to her hip.

Annie brushed Leni's hair out of her face and dried her tears, brushing a soft kiss against Leni's cheek. "Oh, sweetie, it's okay," she whispered, bouncing her niece on her hip. She grinned secretively and said, "Can I tell you a secret?"

Through her tears, Leni smiled bravely and nodded. "O-okay…"

Annie leaned in to whisper in Leni's ear. "Uncle Auggie said we could come see you this summer. What do you think about that, huh?"

Leni's face lit up. "Really?"

Annie grinned. "Yeah, baby girl," she said softly. "We can go swimming and watch fireworks and maybe we can even go camping or something."

Pure joy filled Leni's face, and she threw her arms around Annie's neck, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Aunt Annie!" she squealed, and Annie shared a grin with Leo and his wife, Posey.

Half a second later, Patrick and Lydia broke through the crowd, and Patrick called, "Okay, it's time to go! They're going to miss their flight if we don't hurry!"

Everyone crowded through the front door out onto the front lawn, and, one by one, everyone gave their good-byes to Annie and Auggie. Nearly fifteen minutes later, Patrick ushered Ari, Auggie, and Annie into their van, and they pulled out of the driveway just as everyone else climbed into their own cars and drove home.

Annie settled back into her seat as she watched the Virginia scenery pass her by, and she sighed wistfully. She would miss this place—everything about it. The people, Auggie's family, Christmas in DC, independence from her family, bustle and the _life_ here, the way she felt like she was on an adventure with the only man she'd ever loved. Part of her wanted to stay here always, start their family together, and live happily ever after. She didn't want to go back to the real world.

She rolled her neck against the headrest. This was crazy. She was _Mrs. Claus_, for crying out loud. Her husband was Santa Claus, and millions of children were depending on him for their magical Christmases. She was Mrs. Claus, and she _loved_ her job. It might not be as exciting as some other jobs, but this is who she was, and she loved it.

Lydia glanced back at Annie with an encouraging smile. "You okay, Annie?"

Annie nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine, Lydie. I just can't believe we're leaving. I loved it here."

Lydia and Patrick both glanced back and threw her bright grins. "Well, you're welcome any time, kiddo," Patrick said, and Annie nodded.

Ari leaned forward in her car seat and studied Annie curiously. "Annie?"

Annie managed a smile for her, too. "Yeah, baby?"

Ari studied her with a curious, slightly worried frown. "When are you 'unna come home again?"

The question broke Annie's heart. She wished she could just bring Ari and the rest of the Andersons home to the North Pole with her. "I don't know, sweetheart. Maybe sometime this summer."

Ari blanched, worry filling her eyes, and she wailed, "But that's a long time!"

Tears filled Annie's eyes and she reached across Auggie's lap, wishing she could hold Ari in her arms instead of just squeeze her hand. Ari had come to be more like a daughter than a sister-in-law. "I know, baby. But now that I know you, we can talk over the phone like Auggie does every week, okay? You can tell me all about everything that you do, and the time will fly by faster than you know."

"R-really?" Ari asked hesitantly, watching Annie as she sniffed through her tears.

Annie nodded with an encouraging smile. "Yeah. I promise."

Ari grinned at that. "Make a promise, never fail it," she announced in a singsongy voice, and Patrick grinned back at his daughter.

"That's right, baby."

The rest of the way to the airport, Ari cheered up noticeably and chattered on about all her Christmas presents and what she would do now that all she had to do was wait for Santa to come. When they arrived at the airport, Lydia pulled the car up to the curb, and they all climbed out. Patrick grabbed their bags from the back of the van, and Lydia and Patrick gave Annie and Auggie long hugs good-bye. "It was so nice to meet you, Annie," Lydia gushed before she pressed a kiss to Annie's forehead, and she turned to Auggie. She pulled him into a long hug, and, as she pulled away, she warned, "Don't you even think about staying away this long again the next time."

Auggie grinned in the direction of his mother. "Wouldn't dream of it, Mom."

She wagged her finger at him but slowly grinned. "Good."

As Lydia pulled away, Ari grinned as she jumped from the edge of the van onto the cement sidewalk. "My turn!" she squealed, running to her brother. She wrapped her legs around him as he lifted her into his arms. Auggie leaned in a few inches and brushed his nose against hers. "Eskimo kiss!" Ari squealed, returning the gesture before she threw her arms around his neck.

Auggie chuckled as he held Ari close, loving just holding her for a little while. He couldn't believe how much he'd miss her when they were back at home. She smelled like peaches and baby powder, and her soft dark hair tickled his nose and cheek. "Love you, Ari."

She leaned back and grinned up at him. "Merry Christmas, Auggie!" she squealed, and reached her arms out to Annie.

By the time they had escaped the crowds and headed in the direction of the spot they'd left Barber over three weeks ago, Annie had slipped her hand into Auggie's, and she was acting strangely quiet. When he heard a sniff from her direction, he pulled to a stop and dropped his suitcase next to him. "Hey," he said softly, pulling her around in front of him and cupping her face with his hands. He swiped his thumbs over her eyes gently, drying her tears. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Annie sighed as she looked up into his eyes. He was really too good for her. He put up with all her crazy plans and adventures and just played along when she meddled into everyone's lives, looking for mischief to get into. And now they were going the North Pole, their safe, predictable home, and all he was worried about was her. She wanted to be brave, to accept what was before her, but at the idea of going home to make meals every day and interact with the elves occasionally and share a dinner with her family every Thursday night, at six-thirty on the dot, _every_ single week, with nothing new, nothing adventurous—her face crumpled and a single sob escaped her before she threw herself into Auggie's arms. "I just want an adventure!"

Auggie held her tight and buried his face in her shoulder, grinning into the coarse fabric of her winter coat. "Annie, babe, you just had an adventure."

She clung to Auggie even tighter. "I know… But I… I want another one!"

Auggie chuckled lightly before pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "Don't you think you should take a little breather from one adventure to the next?"

"What if… what if there isn't a next adventure?" she whispered.

Auggie cupped her face with his hands again. "Oh, Annie…" He leaned in to brush a gentle kiss against her lips. "Baby, you're always going to have adventures. You make your own adventures, and the whole North Pole goes along for the ride, flying by the seat of your pants. We'll come back down here. To see my family, to let me whisk you away on a Valentine's Day adventure, to backpack through Europe, to sail the oceans blue. Babe, we're Santa and Mrs. Claus. Nobody has the freedom to move around like we do. You may not be the average Mrs. Claus, but you're _my_ Mrs. Claus, okay? You're not your mom, and you're not your sister, and you're definitely not your grandma or my mom. We'll figure this out together."

Annie smiled at that. "Really?"

Auggie laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Really. If I have to, I'll invent adventures for you."

She couldn't help the slow grin that lifted the corners of her mouth. "You're too good for me," she whispered. He really was. There was no way she deserved a guy like Auggie Anderson.

He grinned down at her. "I know," he gloated, picking up his bag as he continued in the direction they'd been going before he'd stopped them.

Annie scowled at him and hit his upper arm with the back of her hand. "Auggie!"

He laughed as he turned back to her, a wide, easy grin lingering on his face. "What?"

She rolled her eyes and reached for his arm, pulling him back in the right direction. "C'mon. Barber's gonna yell at you when you make us late."

Auggie just snorted and rolled his eyes, letting her lead the way.

* * *

><p>Annie grinned into Auggie's back as she saw the North Pole coming back into view. He was right. It would be good to come home, after an adventure. She and Auggie would have a lifetime of adventures, but being able to come home between each one felt good—really good. She could see Joe and Vivian Walker, Dani and Michael and the girls, Stu, and every single other friend she had, and she couldn't wait to see them all. They were waving and shouting their welcome, and Auggie turned to glance over his shoulder. "Happy to be home now?" he asked, grinning, and she just rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder lightly.<p>

"Yes, Auggie," she sighed. She really did hate letting him win. "I'm happy to be home."

He laughed and the annoyance in her voice. "Good."

They landed a few minutes later, and Barber took Rudolf's reins and led him away. Auggie reached for Annie's hand, intertwining their fingers, and he grinned down at her. "You ready?"

She squinted up at him. "Ready for what?"

He rolled his eyes drolly. "To deal with that rowdy crowd, of course."

She just laughed and tugged on his hand, pulling him out into the fresh North Pole air. "Please," she said, rolling her eyes. For the next few hours, they laughed with friends, told everyone about life in Washington, D. C., danced with Chloé and Katia, and, of course, had all the minty hot cocoa and Christmas cookies they could possibly have.

It was _good_ to be home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** NOT the end! :) There's still several loose ends to be tied up. Sorry this update has taken so long. Hopefully the other updates will come soon, and you're all in a Christmasy enough mood to still love this! :)

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** The last full chapter! This little Christmas story hasn't garnered as much attention as most of the other fics (if not _all_ of the other fics) I've written, but I'm so happy you've all joined me for the ride. There will be a sweet little epilogue after this, but this is the last full-blown chapter.

Sorry it seems like updates take _so_ long for this little story… Between job hunting, working, and hanging out with my brother before he returned to his Air Force base, it's hard to find time for this. Hopefully I can get this last update after this one out fairly quickly. :)

Please let me know what you think! :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Covert Affairs_.

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

Annie leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb to their bedroom as she watched Auggie getting dressed, fixing his buttons. She smiled to herself. She loved watching him. He dressed with such precision and pride, as if nothing could be more important than being the perfect Santa. Sometimes she wondered if he took this much care when he dressed in the Army.

She'd watched her father, every Christmas Eve, as he'd fixed his own suit, and she couldn't help but compare them. She couldn't imagine anyone more perfect to take Joe Walker's place as Santa Claus, and she couldn't help the warm feelings that swelled inside of her. She was _so proud_ to be able to call Auggie her husband, and she wouldn't trade her position for the world.

Annie pushed off from the doorjamb and sauntered over to her husband. "Hey, soldier boy," she teased, and she couldn't help grinning widely when he turned to look at her, both surprised and happy by her presence.

"Hey, baby."

She reached up to his neck, fixing his collar. She studied his appearance for a moment, and, satisfied, she tugged on his lapels and met his lips in a slow, happy kiss.

Annie stared into Auggie's warm, twinkling brown eyes and wondered if he would say yes if she asked this time. It was really the last time she _could_ ask. This year, anyway.

She wrapped her arms around his neck loosely and grinned up at him hopefully. He might not be able to see her grin, but he always knew when she wanted something. "Auggie…"

He rolled his eyes and groaned. "What now, Annie?"

She giggled and pressed a light kiss to his lips. "Can I come with you?" she asked hopefully.

Auggie groaned. "What—tonight? No… Annie, no… I already said no. Seven times. In the past 24 hours."

She pouted at him for good measure. "Auggie, _please_? You promised me a lifetime of adventures! You told me, not a week ago, that we're not the typical Santa and Mrs. Claus. Please?"

Auggie groaned. "Babe, you just got home from an adventure. A nearly _month-long_ adventure!"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I'm ready for another one!"

Auggie shook his head in disbelief and rolled his eyes. "I swear," he grumbled under his breath. "I married the Energizer Bunny."

Annie grinned up at him and kissed him quickly, happily. "And I married an old man! So can I go or what?"

"Annie—" he groaned. "I don't know. It's cold out there, and we are leaving in five minutes…"

"Puh-lease," she snorted. "I had the elves make me a suit years ago. I knew someday I'd get to go."

"Annie—"

"Please? I have to see if Grayson got his daddy for Christmas…"

Annie's voice was soft, worried, hopeful. He couldn't tell her no to that. "Fine…" he groaned.

Grinning widely, Annie jumped into his arms, throwing her legs around his waist and hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Auggie!" she squealed in his ear.

Auggie cringed but laughed at her excitement before slowly lowering her back to her feet. "You better hurry. Stu's not going to be happy about this, and if you make me late I don't think he'll ever let us have any adventures as long as we both shall live."

Annie giggled and hurried to her closet, rummaging around. "Don't worry," she called over her shoulder with a grin. "I'll be ready."

* * *

><p>Auggie grinned as he turned to Annie, holding his hand out to her. "Ready?" he asked.<p>

This had to have been the seven thousandth house they stopped at—he'd stopped counting hundreds of homes ago—and he couldn't wait to see Annie's reaction. The whole night, her giddy excitement hadn't let up, and she'd pointed out everything about the night sky from what it was like to stare down the moon to how cold it was in the Sahara Desert at night to a million other things. When he had taken her hand, guided her to the first chimney, held her close, and jumped down, she had squealed and whispered so loudly, he was afraid she'd wake up the house's inhabitants. Russians weren't very cheery ever, but he didn't want to risk finding out what they were like after being woken from a deep sleep. To tell the truth, when he'd gone down his first chimney, he hadn't expected to slowly float down to the ground, either, as if on a cloud. He couldn't exactly blame her. Despite living at the North Pole for the majority of her life, Annie really hadn't experienced the magic of Santa Claus.

Annie took Auggie's hand and let him lead her from the sleigh. "Whose house is this?" she asked curiously, looking around.

Auggie smirked. She was going to love this. He just hoped she didn't wake the whole neighborhood with her excitement. "Grayson Callum's house."

Annie's eyes widened and she squealed with delight before Auggie shushed her. "Grayson's house? Really?"

Auggie chuckled. "Yes, really. But if we're going to go down there, you're going to have to stay quiet, okay?"

She pouted, but agreed, and led him to the edge of the chimney. On the count of three, they jumped off the edge together, and slowly floated down the flue.

As soon as they landed, Auggie hushed her again, listening for the sound of anyone moving around. When he didn't hear anything, he tentatively started to climb out of the fireplace, until he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. He put his hand behind him, trying to push Annie back into the chimney flue. "Get back, back!" he hissed, quickly backpedaling. He groaned and muttered a curse under his breath when his head cracked against the top of the fireplace. He grabbed his head and crouched down, hiding himself from view. He listened as whoever was at the door came inside and shut the door, and, before he knew what had happened, Annie had wiggled her way past him.

"Annie!" he hissed, groaning when he missed grabbing her arm. "Annie! Where are you going? You can't go out there!"

She rolled her eyes as she glanced back at him. "Relax! I just want to see who it is!"

She stuck her head back out of the fireplace and grinned slowly when she saw a built man, probably about thirty years old, dressed in his ACUs and carrying his duffle bag over his shoulder. His face was lit by the Christmas tree lights, and Annie watched with a slow smile as the familiar settings of his home sunk in, and the man slowly lowered his bag to the floor by the door and a grin inched up the corners of his face. She turned to look back at Auggie. "It's Grayson's dad!" she squealed happily.

Auggie rolled his eyes. "Shhh."

She turned her attention back to Steve Callum, grinning with child-like glee. She watched as he removed his hat and looked around. He looked around, almost as if he wasn't sure what to do. His leave had been approved incredibly last-minute, and he hadn't even had time to tell his wife, Rachel, about his return home. Even if he could have, he had decided he wanted to keep it a secret, surprising Rachel and Grayson when he walked in the door. His timing had left much to be desired. He didn't want to wake Rachel if she was sleeping—he was sure Grayson had kept her here, there, and everywhere in the four months he'd been gone—but he didn't want to sleep on the couch, either. He was _home_.

Before he could decide what he was going to do, he heard a door down the hallway open, and the patter of quiet, sleepy footsteps coming down the hallway. His heart clenched in his chest when he recognized the sleepy form of his wife, dressed only in one of his old army tee shirts and her underwear. She stopped at the edge of the hallway, rubbing her eyes sleepily and squinting at him. "Steve?" she whispered, her voice both shaking with emotion and thick with sleep. "Is that you?"

He nodded silently, taking one step toward her before tears filled her eyes and she ran to him, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. She hugged him desperately, burying her face in his neck as her sobs shook her body.

Steve held her tight, planting desperate, soft kisses against the crown of her head until he could take it no longer, and then he nudged her until she looked up at him. "Look up at me, baby," he whispered, and when she did, he captured her lips in a long, desperate, intimate kiss.

When he pulled away, tears were still pooling in her eyes, and he slowly lowered her to her feet before he cupped her face with his hands, gently wiping away her tears before he gently kissed each of her eyelids. He pressed a fervent kiss to her lips before leading her to the recliner. He pulled her down onto his lap, holding her close. He studied her silently for a moment, memorizing her face anew. It had been _so_ long since he'd seen her, and he couldn't believe he was back home, with her, at midnight on Christmas Eve.

After a moment of silence, Rachel turned in his lap to look at him more closely, and she began fiddling with one of his buttons. "When—when did this happen?"

"You mean… when did I get permission for my leave?"

She nodded quietly. He knew she was still too shell-shocked to really form a proper conversation, not that he could blame her. Maybe keeping it a secret hadn't been such a good idea. "Just this morning, actually. I got the notice at seven o'clock that I had been given leave, and if I wanted to be home for Christmas, I had to be ready for the next flight out, half an hour later… I took it," he said, smiling at her gently. "Babe, I just couldn't wait to see you and Gray. I can't believe I get to see him Christmas Day."

Rachel giggled as she looked up at him, and quickly tried to hide her amusement. "What?" Steve asked, and she quickly shook her head.

"Forget about it."

He nudged her chin up with a crooked finger, smirking at her knowingly. "Rach, I know it wasn't nothing. What was that all about?"

Rachel groaned and blushed. "Um, well… see, _all_ month Grayson's been going on and on about how he met the Easter Bunny while we were out Christmas shopping… Apparently the Easter Bunny and Santa are close, and he promised he'd get Santa to bring you home for Christmas."

Steve burst out laughing and nudged her chin with his hand again, this time bringing her closer for a kiss. "He really said that?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yeah. He made sure he told me tonight, too, when I tucked him in."

Steve laughed again and lifted Rachel off his lap. "Can I see him?"

Rachel grinned up at him as she slipped her hand into his. "Maybe," she teased. "If you take those clunkers off. Because you know those things will wake him up in a second."

He groaned as he bent down to unlace his boots and take them off, setting them behind by the front door on their way back to both theirs and Grayson's bedrooms. "Fine…"

As they disappeared from view, Annie grinned back at Auggie. "You did it!" she hissed with a wide grin.

Auggie just grinned back at her knowingly. "Didn't I say I knew people?"

She rolled her eyes. "C'mon! Before they come back! Where's the presents?"

Auggie reached into his bag and handed her the four wrapped boxes he had for the Callums, and, after Annie had displayed them prominently in front of all the others, she returned to Auggie and they shot off into the night sky.

* * *

><p>Annie groaned melodramatically and flopped back on their bed. When she felt a thud on the bed next to her, she didn't even turn to see who it was or squint in his direction. "<em>How<em> do you do that every year?" she complained, and Auggie laughed at her.

"Regretting your little adventure, Mrs. Anderson?"

Annie rolled her eyes and punched Auggie's shoulder. When she couldn't come up with a good come-back, she squinted at him and said, "Hey, you, not nice…"

Auggie laughed at her feeble attempt and kicked off his boots before he scooted farther up on their bed. He reached down, feeling across the bed until he came in contact with Annie's arm. He tugged on it gently. "C'mon, babe," he said. "Let's go to bed."

He heard a muffled groan from her side of the bed—which was actually _his_ side of the bed—and he figured she had planted her face in the comforter. "I can't move."

Auggie chuckled as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "Annie, you have to take your boots off."

She feebly tried to toe them off before giving up. "They're stuck."

Auggie rolled his eyes. "Babe—" He knelt down in front of her, slowly loosening the ties to her boots before discarding them in the corner of the room. He returned to his actual side of their bed, and nudged her side with his knee. "C'mon, Annie. Your side."

She groaned as she rolled over. "Tuck me in?" she asked pathetically, and he laughed.

"You know I'm never taking you out on Christmas Eve ever again, right?"

She pouted up at him. "Aw, Auggie, c'mon! It was just my first time. I'll be better next time." She shifted in bed to let him pull the covers up over her. "Please?"

Auggie grinned down at her wryly and rolled his eyes. "We'll see what happens by next Christmas. Okay?"

She grinned as she turned onto her side, watching him as he climbed into their bed next to her. "Okay." She reached out with one finger, tracing the lines of his face. "Hey, Auggie?"

"Hmm?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"I love you."

He smiled softly and grabbed her hand that was still tracing his face, lifting it to his lips. He kissed her palm gently before threading his fingers through hers. "I love you, too, babe."

"Merry Christmas."

He smiled. This night had gone off without a hitch. It _would_ be a merry Christmas. As far as he was concerned, anyway. "Merry Christmas, Annie."

She was silent for so long that he thought she'd drifted off. He snuggled deeper into his pillow and tried to let his thoughts go and let sweet sleep overcome him after the night he'd had, and then he heard Annie's voice, soft and a bit reserved. "Auggie?"

He turned back toward her. "Yeah, babe?"

"Thank you for letting me have my adventures."

He grinned softly. "Anytime, babe. Anytime."

* * *

><p>The next morning at the crack of dawn, Grayson Callum charged down the hallway from his bedroom into the living room, grinning widely as he saw a couple dozen new presents. It was Christmas!<p>

He charged back down the hallway to his parents' room, pushing the door open without bothering to knock. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" he squealed. "Santa came last night! Mommy, did you see the presents? Mommy, wake up!"

He stopped short when he saw two bodies lying in his parents' bed. A second later, he recognized the sleeping form of his father, sprawled halfway across the bed, one arm protectively draped over his mother's stomach. "Daddy!" he screamed, tears filling his eyes, and he charged the bed, climbing up as quickly as his little legs could carry him. "Daddy, Daddy, you're home!"

Steve Callum slowly began to stir, and he rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. Then he recognized the little form of his son, clad in a pair of pajamas with tears dripping from his cheeks, and he pulled Grayson down into his arms, holding him tight as he whispered little assurances as he rubbed Grayson's back soothingly. "Buddy, I'm here. I'm here, Grayson, I'm here… I'm not gonna leave you, okay? I love you, buddy… It's going to be okay, I promise. I love you. Shhhh…"

Tears filled Rachel's eyes as she watched her two favorite guys, and Steve pulled her against him, too. They lay there, for nearly half an hour, holding each other while Steve calmed his son down.

Nearly two hours later, they had opened all their presents except for one, a small box wrapped in lively paper with a nametag that read _To Grayson, from Santa_.

Rachel gave him the gift and explained who it was from, and Grayson, who was sitting between Steve's legs, looked up at his dad for approval. Steve nodded with a smile. "Go ahead, son," he said, and Grayson began to rip off the paper.

He managed to get the small box open after several tries, and when he did, he discovered a small piece of paper. Grayson scowled down at it and handed it to his father. Steve began to read out loud.

_Dear Grayson,_

_Merry Christmas. I think by now you've gotten the present you wanted the most. Merry Christmas, little man—it was a pleasure to make your wish come true. And because I know no little boy wants to open a present and find a letter from Santa, I hope you like the little cars I sent you, too. The Easter Bunny told me all about your one Christmas wish, and I did everything I could to help him stay as long as he could, little man. He's gonna be home with you for three weeks! Is that okay with you?_

_Love,_

_Santa_

Grayson grinned as he looked up at his father. "You're stayin' three weeks?"

Steve grinned as he ruffled his son's hair. "Yep, I am. If Santa said it, it has to be right, huh?"

Grayson just grinned and nodded and reached for his toy tractor.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And that's the last chapter! Hopefully I can have the epilogue posted by the end of this weekend. :)

Obviously, I miss writing fiction outside of fanfiction. I probably took way too long on Steve's and Rachel's reunion, but honestly, how couldn't I? I'm especially sappy about military stuff lately with my brother's enlistment, and these two are just so cute. :)

Please review and let me know what you think!


	10. Epilogue

**A/N:** Nearly two weeks after Christmas, and here's the finale. When I started this, I knew there was no way this would be done by Christmas, but I didn't expect it to go on this long, lol. Thanks for all sticking with me on this silly, adorable little AU Christmas story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)

Please review one last time!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs.

* * *

><p>Epilogue<p>

Annie crept along the side of the Anderson house, Auggie's hand tucked in hers, while she clutched the brightly wrapped birthday package against her protruding stomach. She giggled in anticipation, and Auggie shot her a look. "Shhh! She's going to hear you."

Annie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Please. She's in the living room with your parents."

Due to their constant emails with the Andersons (_particularly_ Ari), they knew her early June birthday was only being celebrated with close family, so they wouldn't be wrecking a larger-than-life, five-year-old's highly-anticipated birthday party by this surprise visit.

She peaked through the living room to ensure she was right—that Ari _wasn't_ listening to them—and quickly ducked back down when she thought Patrick saw her. "C'mon," she said. "We have to hurry!"

As soon as she'd seen that line on that pregnancy test a couple weeks after New Years' Day (after she'd gotten over the shock that they had gotten pregnant the first month they'd tried), she'd started to put this plan into motion. She knew that by early June, she'd be nearly 24 weeks along, and already showing, and they could announce their baby's name to Auggie's family. Besides, she was way too excited to surprise Ari with a visit on her birthday.

She waved good-bye to Stu—who had _insisted_ on accompanying them the whole way even though Barber came, too—and slowly twisted the knob to the front door. It easily turned beneath her hand, and she was glad for the fact that Lydia and Patrick didn't lock their front door when they were home. She slipped inside, bringing Auggie with her, and she tiptoed through the living room until she reached the wall that separated the living room and the dining room. She could hear them inside, eating, while Ari boasted about some accomplishment earlier that day. When there was a slight lull in the conversation, Annie squeezed Auggie's hand, and they jumped out in the middle of the open archway between the two rooms, screaming, "Boo!"

Ari screamed in surprise before unadulterated, pure, breathless excitement flashed across Ari's face. "Annie!" she screamed, tripping out of her chair in her haste to get to Annie as soon as possible. She collided, running full force, into Annie's legs. "Annie, you're here!"

"Hey!" Auggie protested next to her. "What about me?"

Ari grinned up at her big brother easily. "Hi," she said, her eyes twinkling, and Auggie instinctively reached for her, throwing her up into the air and catching her easily, planting a big kiss on her cheek.

"Happy birthday, Ari."

She grinned at him and kissed him back. Then she noticed the gift Annie held in front of her. "Is that for me?"

Annie smiled. "Yeah, baby girl." She handed it to Ari, whose eyes widened eagerly.

"_After_ dinner," Patrick warned, and Ari sighed, handing the present to her father for safe keeping.

Lydia got up from her chair to retrieve some plates for them. "Are you guys hungry?" she asked, her back to them. "You probably came a long way… I know it's only macaroni and cheese, but Ari got to decide…"

"It's fine, Mom," Auggie called. "We'd love some."

She turned around to set the plates on the table and welcome them with a hug when she realized what Ari's present had been hiding. "Oh, my—" Her voice dropped off, full of emotion, before she could finish what she had been about to say, and tears filled her eyes.

"Surprise!" Auggie called with a wry grin.

Lydia rushed over to them, cupping first Annie's cheeks, then Auggie's, before she pulled them into a tight hug. "I'm gonna be a grandma…"

Auggie rolled his eyes for Annie's benefit. "Mom… you're already a grandma. To five kids."

Lydia pulled back and sniffed, wiping her eyes before she rolled them. "Not to any child of yours. It's about time you gave me a grandbaby."

Auggie turned to Annie and they both laughed. "I told you she'd say that," he said.

Ari looked up at them both, touching Annie's stomach curiously. "You're 'unna have a baby?" she asked curiously, and Annie nodded with a smile, lifting Ari to her hip.

"Yeah, sweetie. We're having a little girl."

Ari's eyes lit up and she threw her arms around Annie's neck in a childish hug. "A _girl_?" she asked, her voice full of wonder. "Can I play with her when she's born?"

Annie chuckled at Ari's enthusiasm. "Maybe. She's gonna be really little and fragile, so we need to be careful."

Ari's face dropped a little. "But when she gets bigger, then I can play with her, right?"

Annie laughed. "Yes, then you can play with her."

She carried Ari back to her seat, depositing her there, and both she and Auggie sat in two empty chairs at the table. As he served Annie and Auggie what was left of the food, he said, "So, did you pick a name yet?"

Annie glanced at Auggie and grinned. She'd heard of horror stories of women who shared the names of their babies and their families hated them, but she really wanted to share this with her family before Lillian arrived. "Yeah, we did, actually. We're going to name her Lillian Aurelia." She smiled, just thinking about the name. "Lillian is kind of a mix between my mom's name, Vivian, and your name, Lydia. And Aurelia because we wanted to honor Ari, too, but we didn't think Lillian Arianne Anderson sounded very good… so we figured Aurelia could get the nn Ari, too."

"For me?" Ari asked proudly, grinning widely, and Annie laughed.

"Yeah, baby girl."

Ari shot up in her chair and threw her arms around Annie's neck. "She's _my_ baby, too!"

They all burst out laughing, and Patrick reached over and tugged Ari back into a sitting position. "Ari…"

She looked apologetically back at her father. "Sorry, Daddy." She quickly turned back to Annie and Auggie, already chattering to them eagerly about how she would teach _her baby_ how to walk and talk and swing and paint and play all the "funnest" games and how to eat string cheese the right way.

After watching Ari open her Christmas presents and tucking her into bed, Annie, Auggie, and his parents chatted late into the night about planning for the baby and how often Lydia and Patrick would get to see Lillian, and Lydia _insisted_ on planning a baby shower before they left to go home again.

As Annie listened—and slowly started falling asleep in the protection of Auggie's arms—she couldn't help but love this life that they were embarking on. Part adventure of the real world, part adventure of parenting, part adventure of being Santa Claus's wife. Somehow, she had gotten everything she wanted. She wasn't sure how she had managed to hold on to her sense of adventure while staying close to her family, but she wouldn't give it up for anything.

She could definitely get used to this.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And that's the end! I'm not sure how pleased I am with this epilogue, but I can't figure out a better way to do it, and I'd like to move onto other projects.

Please review once more on your way out!

Lots of love,  
>Ash<p> 


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